Facts, Just the Facts
by enginerdthebard
Summary: Boston's finest finally gets a new Homicide Lieutenant, a no-nonsense, female detective from New York, who dresses in designer suits, drives an expensive car, and is a Yankees fan. Jane is convinced there is something amiss with the private woman - and not just because she happens to compliment the Chief ME all the time. Complete
1. Chapter 1 New Brass

**Facts, Just the Facts**

**A Rizzoli & Isles (T/V) Story**

**by Enginerdthebard**

**Synopsis**: Boston's finest finally gets a new Homicide Lieutenant. The replacement for the transferred Joe Grant is a no-nonsense, female detective from New York, who dresses in designer suits, drives an expensive car, and is a Yankees fan. Jane is convinced there is something amiss with the private woman . . . and not just because she happens to compliment the Medical Examiner all the time or question Jane's abilities - starting her very first day on the job.

**Disclaimer: **Rizzoli & Isles were created by Tess Gerritsen and adapted for TV by Janet Tamaro. This story involves mature themes involving the love and its physical expression between two women. This story is set around the end of season one.

Enginerd

Thanks to Trusty for proofing.

**Author's Note: **This was my first R&I story and is compete. I will upload to as time permits (RL and other writing…).

* * *

**Chapter 1 – New Brass**

"What's going on?" Jane asked her partner, seeing a few high-ranking police and city officials in the Captain's office as she came in to work.

"The computer system is down again!" Barry Frost complained as he once again tried to call up his email. "How am I supposed to check the prints without AFIS?"

"No, I mean why are the illustrious brass gracing us with their presence?" Jane said, catching a glimpse of the Mayor and the Chief of police.

"Seems our new Lieutenant finally arrived," Frost said with a shrug, trying to reboot. "You would think the IT department would let us know what they are doing and when it will be back!" he hissed with disgust. "You'd think they'd know a little communication goes a long way. But of course they don't."

"Why all the VIPs for a new Lieutenant?" Jane said absently with a face of disapproval as she sat at her desk and logged on to a frozen boot screen. "Crap."

Frost just shrugged again, expecting they would learn why at some point. The brass did what the brass did, he considered, wondering if their computers were on the fritz.

After Lieutenant Grant left for DC, the spot had been gapped several months as the painfully slow bureaucracy posted, screened, and interviewed applicants. Of course, there was high hope that someone within the department, specifically Vince Korsak, her former partner, would actually get the job. Jane even placed money on him in the office pool. Their Medical Examiner, Maura Isles, did not bet but publicly offered a vote of confidence, which Jane believed was because she hadn't reviewed all the applicants personally and didn't want to speculate on the selection. Maura hated to guess, Jane considered, frowning at how disappointed they were when they found out Vince didn't get the position.

After learning Korsak didn't get the job, Jane, Frost and, of course, Maura, took him out to their bar to try and cheer him up last night. Though Korsak tried to shrug it off as unnecessary, Jane knew that while not crushed the older man was very disappointed and convinced him to go. Well, with Maura's help.

**_R&I_ **

"_Those idiots don't know shit from Shinola about picking the right man for the job!" Jane loudly declared once again, after her fourth beer._

"_Jane," Maura scolded her, again, with a displeased purse of her lips, glancing around the bar uncomfortably. _

"_What?! Korsak is the best!" Jane said, prompting a small, pleased smile from her former partner. "To Korsak! The best man who should have gotten the job!" Jane raised her beer, which was clinked by Maura's wine glass and Frost's beer. Frost enthusiastically chimed in "Here, here," earning a surprised look from the older man. _

_If he didn't have dark skin, Frost's slight blush of embarrassment might have been more noticeable. "What? I trust Jane's judgment," he explained awkwardly with a shrug._

"_Do you know who got the job?" Maura asked, sipping her mediocre white wine._

"_Not yet," Vince said, sipping his beer. "Seems there were two candidates that were neck-in-neck. Cavanaugh from Vice and . . . this should interest you Jane, a rich, out-of-towner . . . a woman from New York," he offered with a sparkle in his eyes._

"_A rich woman . . . from New York." Jane repeated flatly. "Great! Just what we need, another political, ladder-climbing, snob," Jane bemoaned, getting a frown from Maura._

"_Do you truly believe the woman is anything other than a hard-working, dedicated police officer just because she has more money and is higher ranking than you?" Maura challenged with clear annoyance._

_Frost and Vince looked at each other with alarm. _

"_Well, I've got to go," Frost said awkwardly, looking at his watch and getting a quick nod of agreement from Korsak who chimed in, "Me too, gotta get my beauty sleep."_

_Jane frowned as she watched her new and old partners flee. Though, she was begrudgingly impressed with how quickly Korsak could disappear. Coward._

"_Maura, you have to admit it is not normal for someone with money to want to do this," Jane explained reasonably._

"_So you are saying I'm not normal," Maura looked at her pointedly._

"_Maura, stop putting words in my mouth. I didn't mean that at all. Unless you consider being exceptional abnormal, then you are extremely abnormal," Jane said with a warm smile. _

_Maura's head tilted as she looked at Jane. "You just called me abnormal," she said with a frown._

"_In a good way!" Jane quickly backpedaled as Maura sighed and stood up. "Maura…." Jane said, trying to make things better, not understanding why Maura was so upset._

"_I'll see you in the morning, Jane," Maura interjected firmly as she gripped her bag and left the table._

"_Maura," Jane whined to her best friend who kept walking. Jane dropped her head to the table with a thunk. Why did she always seem to say the wrong thing to Maura lately? They had hit it off swimmingly at first and now, it seemed that Maura was not satisfied with anything she said. Why was Maura so sensitive around her these days?_

**_R&I_**

Jane frowned. "Frost, I gotta go find Maura," she said, quickly standing up and left on a mission to make things right. However the hell she could . . . .

"But Jane…." Frost said with concern as the Captain emerged from his office with the brass and the new lieutenant in tow.

R&I

"So? How can I get you to forgive me?" Jane asked, having finally caught up to Maura at a park, after they had both been notified of a dead body. It was like Maura was avoiding her, which made her more worried. She watched as Maura hunched over a male corpse, who was entangled in his bicycle just off the bicycle trail. "I'm not sure what I did, but I know didn't mean it," Jane added with honest frustration.

Maura slowly stood and looked at Jane. "Then how could you possibly know you didn't mean it if you don't know what you did?" She was genuinely curious, having almost forgotten why she was so irritated with Jane last night.

Jane's mouth dropped as she searched for a response, looking at an expectant Maura. "Because?" she tried with a wince, causing Maura to roll her eyes.

A car rolled up very close to the crime scene – a very nice and expensive, green metallic Aston Martin, Jane noted with a frown.

"Frankie!" She called out to her brother, who stood by the yellow crime scene tape to keep onlookers away. Getting his attention, she pointed to the car. "Tell them to keep the hell away from the…." the words died on her lips as the brunette emerged from the car and she caught the gold badge at her belt.

"Fuck," Jane whispered under her breath.

"Yeeesss?" Frankie said melodically with a smirk as he tended to other curious civilians.

Jane shook her head and looked up, squinting at the crowd forming on the bridge overhead. She hated gawkers.

Maura glanced over the new arrival with appreciation. The woman was in her mid-forties, in a perfectly tailored brown Armani suit with a lighter brown, silk shirt that was unbuttoned at the top two buttons. The gold badge on her Ralph Lauren belt appeared a perfect accent, not just a symbol of her position. Her brown hair was about her shoulders in an attractive cut that flowed nicely as she turned her head to survey the scene. Her eyes were hidden by black designer sunglasses, that gave her an air of mystery, or perhaps … danger? She didn't need the gun on the other side of the badge to promote that image. Her gait was purposeful, her carriage, confident. The whole package was strong yet refined – a perfect fit for the job, Maura concluded with a smile. She could see Jane in something like that – if she would ever try to dress more sophisticatedly. Of course, she would have wanted to accentuate the suit with a scarf and higher heeled shoes, and maybe a gold brooch to balance the badge, but she knew that would be impractical and too fancy for a homicide detective – especially Jane.

Jane unhappily noted Maura's close and appreciative inspection of the Lieutenant before turning her gaze to the formidable woman. She observed what Maura had observed, without the medical examiner's specific appreciation of the designers or cost. The Lieutenant dressed to impress and radiated confidence. The competitive part of Jane noted with some satisfaction that she was a few inches taller than her new boss, who pulled off her sunglasses and tucked them in her blazer breast pocket.

"Lieutenant, I'm . . . ," Jane said, trying to be polite, knowing she had not been around for the formal introductions with her division.

"Rizzoli," she said flatly, her green eyes looking into Jane's for a long moment, making Jane uncomfortable. "When the Captain or I call together a division meeting, I expect you to understand that means you too," she said pointedly, her gaze penetrating.

Maura tensed, wondering what Jane was thinking to miss an important meeting.

Jane struggled with the urge to defend her absence. She almost blamed the IT department for the missed message, but couldn't do it; she already knew the new lieutenant was there and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she'd be meeting her troops. Jane was not having a good day. Or good week, she amended, briefly glancing uncomfortably at Maura.

"Yes Ma'am," Jane offered begrudgingly, making Maura sigh with relief that Jane wasn't making things worse with her new boss. Jane had a special ability of saying something thoughtless or stupid without even realizing it. Maura pondered why that unfortunate trait which had been rare when they first met, seemed to be getting worse lately.

The Lieutenant sighed. "Too bad you weren't there, Rizzoli. I brought in some really good donuts," she said, making Maura smile happily. Jane's new boss had a sense of humor and was obviously past Jane's initial misstep.

Jane frowned slightly at the unexpected quip and with Maura's reaction to it. Her accent was definitely not of the New York elite, she noted. But it was from New York; a slight Bronx accent came through which did not fit with her expensive clothes and car - unless she was in the mafia, had won the lottery, or married wealthy, she considered and glanced down to the Lieutenant's left hand. Jane saw no jewelry save one gold Rolex that must have cost more than her own car. Jesus!

"Doctor Isles, what have we got?" The Lieutenant crouched down by the body and looked up at Maura expectantly.

Maura smiled, glad the new Lieutenant was not like Frost. But then she suspected the woman would not have gotten to the rank of Lieutenant had she been squeamish. She gracefully knelt back down. Rather closely to the Lieutenant, Jane noted.

"The bicyclist is male, approximately 30 years old, with blunt trauma to his head and several abrasions on his arms and legs," she said, pointing to the areas of trauma.

"Cause of death?"

"I won't know that until I conduct my autopsy."

"A guess?" the Lieutenant asked curiously.

Jane had to smirk, knowing the new lieutenant would likely be frustrated with Maura's aversion to speculation.

"I . . . don't guess," Maura said uncomfortably, wondering why every homicide detective seemed determined to work with unsubstantiated and incomplete information.

Jane's smirk turned to a frown when the Lieutenant nodded in acceptance and stood, holding out a hand to assist Maura, who automatically took it with a pleased smile.

Maura didn't need help, Jane considered with a furrowed brow.

"I look forward to reading your report, Doctor. I've been told you are quite thorough," the Lieutenant said with a small smile, which relieved the medical examiner and confused Jane who would have certainly badgered Maura longer for a guess.

"I try to be," Maura said.

"Nice dress," the Lieutenant said. "Chanel?"

"Yes," Maura said with surprise, beaming with pleasure.

"Careful with the mud," the new lieutenant said with a wince, glancing around the crime scene.

"Hazards of the job, I'm afraid. But I won't let them dictate my wardrobe," Maura said firmly.

"Good for you…and us," the Lieutenant said with a small smile, receiving a bright one from Maura in return.

There was something about this Lieutenant that really did not sit right with Jane. Things just didn't add up. Although, the normally perceptive Maura didn't seem to care, Jane noted. Why would a Bronx homicide detective have wealth and know about fashion? Where the hell would a New York City detective get that kind of cash anyway?

The Lieutenant called out a second time. "Rizzoli!"

"Uh, yeah?" Jane said uncertainly, finally focused on her boss' words instead of her suspect pedigree.

"What about the evidence collected, like a bloody rock or something?" The Lieutenant asked tersely, glancing up at the overhead bridge meaningfully.

"Uh, I just got here," she said uncomfortably, glancing at Maura, feeling her face redden.

"We've collected a few objects but they only appear to have collateral blood splatter, Lieutenant," Maura offered helpfully. "The indentation in the dirt matches the size of the trauma to the head."

The Lieutenant looked at her and nodded. "Rizzoli? A moment?" she said politely, walking towards her car without waiting for a response.

Jane took a fortifying breath and followed, knowing the woman was not pleased with her.

When she was certain no one else would hear them, the Lieutenant turned to Rizzoli.

"I was told you were one of the best homicide detectives in the division, Rizzoli. And your record seems to support that, but frankly, I'm not seeing it. I'm seeing someone with their head up their ass. Should I be worried?" she asked bluntly, shocking Jane who never had her abilities questioned. Well, her training officer did, but that was before she knew anything. And, well, the all-boys club of vice, then homicide, had harassed her mercilessly, assuming "the girl" was a department token, until she proved herself to them. And her mother's opinion didn't count…

"No. Not at all," Jane blurted. She was amazed by how bad her day was going – and it wasn't even LUNCH yet! Instinctively, Jane glanced to Maura, who was trying not to look like she was watching them, and failing. The look was not lost on the new Lieutenant.

"I'm not one to meddle in the personal lives of my officers, but make no mistake, I will take action if it is affecting performance. Do I make myself clear, Rizzoli?"

Not really understanding what she meant, Jane blinked, wondering what her family had to do with anything. Knowing a response was required, she weakly answered: "Yes, ma'am."

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you Rizzoli?"

Jane's mouth opened in surprise. "No, ma'am," she said with a wince.

The Lieutenant sighed and shook her head, before heading to her car.

As the Lieutenant drove away, Jane just stood there, staring as the Aston Martin pulled away. This was worse than with Lieutenant Grant, who was just a chauvinistic jerk looking out for his career. Jane never had a woman boss before and for some reason, she had expected a better experience.

"Jane? Are you ok?" Maura said, now at her side with a gentle hand on her forearm, startling the detective.

"I'm . . . not sure," Jane honestly responded with a bewildered look, leaving Maura more concerned.

**R&I**

"What's wrong, Jane?" Angela Rizzoli asked her daughter at the Rizzoli dinner table.

Jane stopped poking her food with her fork and looked up curiously. "What makes you think anything is wrong?"

"You're not touching your ravioli and it's Grandma Rizzoli's special recipe," Angela said as if it was obvious; at least, to her it was.

"She had a tough day with her new boss," Frankie snickered, taking a bite of salad.

"What the hell do you know about it?!" Jane snapped.

"Jane, language!" Angela scolded as Jane's father, Frank senior, continued to silently eat the ravioli.

"Did you notice how nicely she dresses?" Jane snapped.

"What does Maura's dressing nicely have anything to do with your bad day with your boss?" Frankie countered.

"What the hell?" Jane looked at him in confusion. "I'm talking about the Lieu…"

"Jane, I'm not going to tell you again," Angela snapped. "And how does the way someone dresses have anything to do with your bad day?"

"Jane's bad day started when didn't show up to the division's meeting introducing the new Lieutenant," Frankie volunteered gleefully, earning a death glare from Jane.

"You blew off your new boss? What were you thinking?!" Angela screeched in amazement.

Jane slowly turned red. Her decision seemed obvious at the time. In hindsight, not so much. She still didn't know if she was back in Maura's good graces and now she was on the Lieutenant's shit list. And she still didn't understand why Maura got upset with her.

"Uh, it was personal," she muttered, stabbing a ravioli.

"Did you have bad cramps?" Angela said sympathetically.

"Ma!" Jane looked at her incredulously. "That woman is so… she accused me of not being a good cop!" Jane said.

"For missing a stupid meeting?" Angela said with surprise, suddenly feeling protective of her sometimes-stupid daughter. She hated the fact that Jane and Frankie chose such dangerous professions and constantly told them they should find other work. But to have someone else accuse her daughter of being anything but the best…well, that was just unacceptable!

"Noooo. . . ." Jane said in frustration.

"Did she actually say, 'Jane you are not a good cop' ?" Frankie challenged.

"NO! But… it's like when I first became a detective! She doesn't even know me and she's been riding me!" Jane vented.

"Kinky," Frankie joked, clearly amused by his comment.

"Frankie!" Angela said with exasperation.

"It's just a JOKE, Ma," Frankie said defensively.

Jane couldn't take anymore teasing, especially about that. "I'll be going now, Ma. Pop."

"Aw Jane, Frankie will be good. Won't you Frankie!" Angela hissed, slapping his arm.

"Ma!" he winced.

"I don't have much of an appetite. Thanks for dinner," Jane said and left the table.

"Jane! Janie . . . ," Angela called out as Jane left. "What's going on with her?" she asked to anyone who would answer as the front door shut behind Jane.

"Too much estrogen in the division now?" Frankie suggested, shoving a forkful of ravioli.

"Frankie, that's sexist!" she scolded.

"On second thought, that's not it – more like unexpected testosterone," Frankie snorted.

"Frank, do you have any idea what he's talking about?" Angela turned to her husband for help.

"Angela, this is really good ravioli. Can you pass another piece of garlic bread, sweetheart?" Frank said with a smile.

She looked at the empty breadbasket with a sigh. "There's more in the kitchen. I'll be right back," she said, shaking her head and disappearing into the kitchen.

"So . . . the lieutenant is good looking?" Frank Sr. asked curiously.

"Nicer looking than the last Lieutenant," he joked, then noted his father's frown of displeasure and gave him a real answer. "She's a little too Bronx for me but yeah, good looks and dresses nice," Frankie said with a shrug. "Doesn't take any shit – she seems ok."

"Hmmm," Frank Sr. said, chewing his ravioli.

**R&I**

Left, right, left, right.

Each foot hit the pavement in purposeful rhythm. Sweat dripped off her brow as she breathed in, out, in, out.

It was a peaceful time, a time when she was in control. It wasn't the first time Jane jogged at night.

Left, right, left, right.

It wasn't likely to be her last.

The burn in her muscles started to become painful. But she didn't want to stop. Besides being several miles away from her home, stopping meant her ability to zone out and just focus on the mechanics of jogging was gone.

If she stopped, she'd start to think. And every time she started to think, she thought about Maura. And now, after the arrival of the new Lieutenant . . . .

Jane frowned and pressed on.

Left, right, left, right.

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2 Speculation

**Facts, Just the Facts**

A Rizzoli & Isles Story

By Enginerd

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Speculation**

"UGH!" Barry said as he tried to reboot his computer again and found the server still down. "How can we catch anyone if we can't communicate or investigate! We still don't know who the bicyclist is?"

"You are having withdrawals, aren't you?" Jane asked dryly, sipping a large cup of coffee as she headed to her desk, her second one that morning.

"Jane, the longer we delay pursuing leads, the colder the trail will get. And our most wanted will continue to be most wanted!" he said with frustration.

Jane grabbed the yellow pages from her desk and tossed him the large phone book, with a slight grimace at the exertion. "Korsak tells me cops used to use things called "phones." In his day, they were connected by a wire to the wall. And they also used pencils and paper. I know, I know. It's crazy," she said, shrugging as she raised her hands up with dramatic emphasis.

Frost rolled his eyes.

"Did you talk with Korsak?" Frost shook his head no. "Someone called in a missing person that fits John Doe's description. He's looking into it," she said, sitting down gingerly.

"Exert yourself last night, Rizzoli?" Frost blurted with a smirk.

"Actually, I did," Jane responded with an annoyed smirk.

"Anyone special?" Frost probed curiously. Jane looked at him. He was almost as bad as Korsak.

"Where were you last night!?" Maura marched up to Jane's desk and demanded.

"Well good morning to you too," Jane said to hurricane Maura. Good GOD did she have to wear that dress again?! she thought, immediately noting the cleavage that could be classified as a lethal weapon.

"And ask her why she is so sore too," Frost said with a snicker, flipping through the yellow pages with interest.

Maura looked curiously at Jane, who briefly glared at Frost before returning her gaze to the medical examiner. Eyes up, Rizzoli!

"Uh, I'm sorry, Maur. I didn't check my messages until late … well early this morning," Jane said with an apologetic wince as she busily reached for a safe pen from a safe plastic organizer. The motion caused a slight grimace. "I figured I'd catch up to you in a couple of hours so I didn't call back. It didn't sound urgent," she added, trying the pen on a piece of paper, frowning. She threw it out and found another one in her desk. "Is something the matter?" Jane asked with sudden concern. She glanced at Maura worriedly, realizing that Maura might not have felt comfortable saying what it was on the message.

Up!

"I . . . called you. But you were . . . out," Maura said hesitantly, piecing the evidence together, coming to an unpleasant conclusion. Jane unavailable all night and the muscle soreness exhibited the next morning . . . .

Seeing the uncomfortable look on Maura's face, Jane's eyes widened as she realized what Maura was concluding from the circumstantial evidence. "No! I wasn't…it wasn't that," Jane blurted awkwardly, having never found it particularly comfortable to talk about "that" with her. She glanced over to Frost, gratefully noting he was gone from his desk.

Maura took a deep breath, well aware Jane was having trouble looking her in the eye. She didn't need to have a doctorate in human psychology to know that behavior was associated with discomfort, embarrassment, and guilt, which concerned Maura; there was no reason Jane should ever feel any of those things around her. "It's perfectly natural, Jane. You are an exceptionally healthy and beautiful woman," Maura said, trying to be a supportive friend. "There is no reason you should feel embarrassed about engaging in sexual int…."

"I don't care if it's natural or not," she hissed, interrupting her. "And I am NOT embarrassed!" she said, her voice and demeanor not matching her assertion, Maura considered. "For the record, I was not out for . . . that. After dinner at Ma's, I went jogging. That's all. Jogging. Just lots and lots of jogging," Jane said, compelled to explain for some reason.

"All night? I called you several… wait, you went jogging right after dinner? That is really not advisable, Jane," she lectured. Several questions plagued her, but Jane's health was most important. "That could cause gastrointestinal dis…" Maura said with concern.

"Maura," Jane interrupted wearily. "It wasn't a problem. I hardly ate anything."

"Jane, you love your mother's cooking," Maura said in confusion, more questions piling up. "Are you feeling all right?" Maura said with concern over the information she had just learned - loss of appetite, excessive exercise. "You are not attempting to lose weight, are you, Jane?" she said with disapproval, carefully inspecting Jane's form.

"Huh?"

"At your current height, your weight and body mass index is perfectly healthy. In fact, you could gain several pounds and still be within healthy stan…." Maura continued.

"Maura!" Jane interrupted, standing up and gaining her curious attention. "I'm fine," she said slowly, placing a hand on her forearm to hopefully punctuate that fact.

"Is there a problem here?"

Jane and Maura glanced to the Lieutenant.

Maura kept silent and looked at Jane for she was only able to say yes, which she considered unwise to share at this time. If pressed to explain, Maura knew she would be unable to articulate what that problem was specifically. On the bright side, Jane was not likely suffering from a body image neurosis. Though not eating and excessive exercising were symptoms of stress, she considered. And Jane did seem to be uncomfortable around her new boss….

"Maura was explaining why I shouldn't jog just after eating dinner," Jane said easily. "Which I'm sure is like swimming after eating – a not enough blood flow to the stomach causing cramps sort of thing. Did I get that about right, Maura?" Jane said, looking at Maura, who nodded weakly.

"You could suffer from stomach cramps," Maura answered. ". . . if you jogged immediately after eating a big meal."

Jane really hoped the Lieutenant would not question them on why the medical examiner had chosen that particular time to lecture her on not jogging after eating.

Glancing between the two women with a sigh, she focused on the medical examiner.

"So Doctor Isles, do you have any more details on the bicyclist yet?"

"Actually, I do," Maura said, glancing at Jane pointedly. Jane would have learned that too, had she answered her phone. Maura turned her gaze to the Lieutenant with a smile. "I can show you in the morgue, if you'd like."

"It does help to see things in addition to reading the reports," the Lieutenant admitted. "Lead the way, Doctor," she said with a smile, politely motioning for the medical examiner to precede her.

"Gladly," Maura said, leaving a frowning Jane behind.

Once again, the Lieutenant complimented Maura on her outfit and Maura smiled and returned the compliment on the Lieutenant's stylish pantsuit. Jane glanced down at her own wardrobe a thoughtful moment, then shook her head and plopped down in her swivel chair.

"Frost?" Jane said as he returned with the phone book in hand.

"Did you know they actually have menus in these things?" he said, looking up from the big yellow book.

Ignoring his grand discovery, she asked: "Since the network is down, can you go to Human Services and get a copy of the lieutenant's application and any personal records?" Even if the network had been up, Jane would have asked Frost to pull up the files, not wanting anyone to know she was looking into her new boss.

"I could, but I'm not going to," Frost said, not looking up at her as he flipped a page. "And I don't even know if they still use paper down there. They may be as screwed as we are."

She rolled her chair to his desk. He cringed at her proximity. "Could you please at least check?" Jane asked quietly.

"Why?"

She looked around the room before speaking in hushed tones. "Let's piece the facts together. She has an ASTON MARTIN."

"A sweet 6.0 liter V12, Rapide," Frost said with excitement, causing Jane to roll her eyes. "That's 470 horse…,"

"Expensive clothes," Jane interrupted.

"Are you going to investigate Dr. Isles too?" he said dryly, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair and eyed her.

"A ROLEX," Jane emphasized, ignoring Frost's stupid question.

"Really?" Frost said with interest, glancing down at his ironman digital watch. "I've been thinking of saving up for one…."

"Frost! Stay with me here," she growled with frustration.

"Sorry."

"She is from the Bronx and is a police officer, which is inconsistent with having all those luxuries."

"Uh huh."

"Her former precinct had a big, messy corruption case recently."

"So?"

"Piece it together, partner," she said expectantly.

"You think she is a dirty cop because she looks great?" Frost said incredulously.

"Not just because she looks grea…looks okay," Jane blurted with exasperation. "Something is just not right. We need to find out what," she added with conviction.

"Jane," Frost said patiently. "Do you have such little faith in the Boston police department human services that you would think they would hire someone in a senior position that is a dirty cop?"

"They are not cops – they are pencil pushers, Frost. Jeeze!"

"Do you have such little faith in the New York City Internal Affairs De…scratch that," Barry said, having read how messy the NYCPD bust was as it included some Internal Affairs officers.

"Her timing in coming here when it got really hot in New York was a bit convenient, wouldn't you say? She just doesn't add up," Jane said emphatically. "I feel it in my gut."

"Maybe you're feeling the effects of all that jogging after eating," Barry offered flatly, getting a frown as Rizzoli rolled back to her desk, shaking her head.

"What's wrong with Rizzoli's gut?" Vince asked, walking up with a coffee cup and donut as he took a sip.

"Jane's gut here thinks our new lieutenant is a dirty cop," Frost said, shaking his head at his hopefully only temporarily insane partner.

"What?" Vince coughed. "Why?"

"She's from the Bronx," Frost offered, counting Jane's clues on his fingers. "Her last precinct had a messy corruption case which exposed several dirty cops, she has a Aston Martin, looks good in her clothes," Frost offered and added with great importance "has a ROLEX. Frost said then snorted "and Jane feels it in her gut."

"Don't be so quick to dismiss Rizzoli's gut, Frost," Vince scolded him and looked at her seriously.

"THANK you, Korsak!" Jane said, feeling relieved that at least her seasoned former partner was listening to her.

"What are we going to do?" Vince asked gravely, just before he burst out laughing.

"Fine. Don't listen. But mark my words, our new boss isn't what she seems," Rizzoli said to the laughing men who just laughed more. She got up and left her desk.

On the way to the morgue, Jane hesitated as she passed the Lieutenant's office then stopped, looking around. Certain no one was paying attention to her, she took a breath and entered, compelled more by a driving need to get to the bottom of her suspicions rather than good sense.

After being stunned by the number of files stacked on the desk, she noticed there were absolutely no personal affects displayed. She frowned, noting in the corner of the office there were several boxes that had yet to be unpacked. As she took a step towards those tempting boxes, a clerk startled her, appearing at the door with a handful of files. Jane smiled weakly as the young clerk passed her. The clerk paused a moment, looking for a place to put the files. Spotting only one empty horizontal surface left, she placed the pile on the Lieutenant's chair. After completing her task, she glanced around the office then at Jane curiously.

Jane motioned to the room weakly. "Can never find a cop when you want one, huh?"

The clerk smiled uncertainly and left her in the office that looked like a bomb had exploded in it, leaving paper shrapnel everywhere. Jane wondered if she would ever want to get promoted to Lieutenant.

Alone to complete her task, Jane glanced at the inviting brown boxes in the corner.

"Rizzoli! There you are. I've got something," Korsak said coming up to her, then curiously looking at her then the paper-filled office of the Lieutenant's a moment before frowning. "Poking your nose in her stuff is NOT a good plan," he scolded with a meaningful look.

Jane sighed. "What do you have?"

**R&I**

Maura felt most comfortable in lecture mode as she stood next to the Lieutenant and pointed to the impact area on the head, then the computer rendering of that area, which helped highlight her point.

". . . and there are smaller indentations within the impact area which would suggest there was a separate, smaller blow to the head; the ground where his head hit causing the larger trauma did not have any similar-shaped protrusions. The indentations are geometrically distinct – pyramid shapes that are symmetrically spaced," Maura said, clearly interested in her finding.

"From a round sphere with small pyramid-shaped protrusions?" the Lieutenant asked, leaning in to more closely inspect the computer graphic.

"Yes," Maura said with confidence and pressed a key, pulling up her graphical representation of the object in question, pleasing the Lieutenant, who smiled at her. Feeling some satisfaction, Maura continued, "I am confident these markings are caused by an impact that occurred before his head hit the ground."

"Do you think the projectile was launched by a sling-shot or someone throwing it?" the Lieutenant asked curiously, then squinted as she flipped through Maura's thorough and daunting report. She really didn't need more paper to wade through, she sighed.

"I can't determine that, not knowing the distance the projectile covered," Maura said, wishing she could. "But the force used was sufficient to leave behind an indentation."

"Regardless of the method, that first impact wasn't enough to kill him," the Lieutenant said absently, staring at the poor guy.

"Actually, it is possible the first impact could have killed him," Maura said, gaining a surprised look. "But the subarachnoid hemorrhage that killed him was more likely caused by the larger trauma to the head when it impacted the ground."

"A sub…what?"

"A hemorrhagic stroke from a ruptured aneurism."

"Let me guess, Lance Doe here had a history of circulatory disease and a genetic predisposition?"

Maura looked at the Lieutenant impressed with the question but curious about the name. "Lance?"

"Lance Armstrong?"

"The accomplished bicyclist?" Maura asked.

"Yeah. And cancer survivor," she added. "So is the guy susceptible?"

"How does being a cancer survivor have any relevance to the case?"

The Lieutenant looked at her a moment. Seeing the curious look on her face, she recognized Maura's question was genuine. "Nothing that I know of, Dr. Isles. Just sharing an interesting fact."

Maura accepted that answer with a smile, appreciating interesting facts, then continued as if they hadn't veered off on a tangent. "I can't confirm his history until I see his medical records or conclusively determine his genetic disposition until the lab tests get back."

The Lieutenant nodded and sighed heavily. "Unlucky bastard. I've seen this before. A prank ends up killing someone. Instead of a misdemeanor, we're looking at manslaughter," the lieutenant said, eyeing Maura.

"Isn't it premature to assume the act was a prank?" Maura said.

"You are right, Dr. Isles," she allowed with a small, satisfied smile and nod. "Until we get more evidence, it would be premature to conclude that," she said, gaining a pleased smile from the medical examiner. "I don't suppose you or the team happened to pick up the subject projectile," she asked doubtfully, suspecting Dr. Isles would have told her.

"Unfortunately, no. As you noted when we were there, the ground conditions were muddy. It may have been obscured and still be there," Maura noted.

"I guess we've got some more…," she responded with a shrug, but was interrupted by a tall brunette storming into the morgue.

"Hey Maura, I . . . !" Jane said with enthusiasm, causing the two women to snap their heads towards Jane. ". . . have some information," she finished awkwardly, noting the Lieutenant's slight frown. "Excuse me," she added weakly; her mother did teach her SOME manners after all.

"Seems our bicyclist died because of a cerebral aneurism," Maura quickly volunteered, hoping to diffuse the situation. Jane and her boss did not seem to get along very well.

Jane nodded, grateful for the diversion. "Korsak checked up on the missing persons report and it looks like our John Doe is Greg Johnston, twenty-nine. His family is coming to positively identify the body," Jane said, glancing at Maura, who nodded and glanced around the room to verify it was ready for outside visitors. She really hated that part of the job.

"He had a history of epilepsy – rode his bike everywhere," Jane added, then looked at the body, confused.

"Then he'd likely have a helmet?" Maura said what Jane was thinking and provoked a nod.

"I checked with the family. They said that the path we found the body on was his normal route to and from his job. I wonder if someone took his helmet so he didn't have it that day," Jane said thoughtfully, glancing back at the body then Maura.

"I found that there was a smaller indentation within the area of the larger head wound, indicating a separate impact," Maura informed Jane, pointing to the injured area on the body then the amplified picture on the computer screen, then the picture of the resulting projectile model calculated from the injury shape. Jane migrated closer to Maura and the information.

"Like from a sling shot?" Jane asked, causing Maura to glance at the Lieutenant, who smiled silently. She had been closely watching their interaction with interest.

"Possibly. But the evidence is inconclusive," Maura acknowledged uncomfortably, never liking to be under scrutiny.

"Would that have caused…?"

"Not likely."

"Normally a blow to the head like that would cause a concussion not death…was it a brain tumor or something?" Jane said with a sparkle in her eye, getting an exasperated look from Maura.

"If you would stop guessing, I'll tell you," Maura scolded her.

Jane held up her hands in silent promise to not guess and just listen.

"Death was caused by an aneurism, brought on from the head trauma likely from the larger impact to the cranium."

"Poor guy," Jane said, looking at the body. Maura looked between Jane and the Lieutenant, who appeared to have similar responses to the misfortune of the victim.

"Well, Rizzoli," the Lieutenant spoke, almost causing Jane to jump, Maura noticed curiously. "Sounds like you have a projectile to find."

"And its owner," Jane added with a determined look as she glanced at the body on the table again. Maura knew Jane would do everything she could to find the murderer.

The Lieutenant also saw that look and respected it. "You may dazzle me yet, Rizzoli," she said, handing Jane the report, and left the two women alone.

Maura smiled, knowing that the Lieutenant would not have to wait long to see how exceptional Jane was at her job.

"Thanks," Jane said weakly, looking down at the report and flipping quickly through it.

"Jane, what is with you lately?" Maura asked gently, knowing she was treading on a potential minefield. Jane's reaction was unpredictable when she tried to help.

Jane frowned and started to protest the observation but couldn't once she looked into Maura's concerned eyes. She let out a long sigh. "I don't know. I just seem to be off. And I think that's why I seem to keep upsetting you. I hope you know I don't try to be an ass," she said with a shrug. "I just don't think about what comes out of my mouth sometimes."

"I know you don't, Jane," Maura said warmly, getting an annoyed look. "What? I'm just agreeing with you – you happen to be right."

"Ooh. I'm right about something. It's about damn time. Though I'd wish it wasn't about me being an idiot," Jane joked.

"I didn't say idiot," Maura gently corrected, uncomfortable whenever Jane put herself down, even when joking.

"So we're good?"

"Right as rain," Maura said warmly, making Jane smile.

"Now why do people say that?" Jane said innocently with a twinkle in her eye, launching Maura into the expected explanation.

"Well the origins are not definitive, but that phrase is thought to be invented by the English, as their weather is normally rainy. So being right as rain, is being…." Maura finally slowed down, noticing Jane's big smile.

"Normal," Jane interjected. "So we're normal?" she asked with a grin.

"I'm starting to seriously question that," Maura said with feigned irritation.

"So, did you get a new dress for the policemen's benefit?" Jane asked, causing Maura to brighten; she loved shopping for clothes.

"I did. It's too bad you have to wear your uniform, I saw the perfect dress that would accentuate your long legs," Maura said easily, looking down at them with a smile, imagining the look.

"Would it require high heels?"

"Of course," Maura said, wondering why Jane would even ask.

"Then I'll stick with my monkey suit, thank you," Jane said.

"At least you'll look good in it," Maura said honestly, making Jane smile. "Unfortunately, the uniform does not tend to flatter most female officers. Though, I suspect the lieutenant will look good in hers too," Maura said, glancing where the woman left.

"Really," Jane said flatly.

"Don't you think so?"

"I . . . actually hadn't thought about it," Jane added with pursed lips.

"You know, I think she might be gay," Maura offered, looking at Jane with interest.

"What?!" Jane sputtered. "Why would you think that? Did she come on to you?!" Jane blurted protectively, then froze as the words caught up to her.

"No! The lieutenant is nothing if not professional."

"Oh," Jane said, feeling an odd sense of relief. "You really should be careful about accusing her of being gay," she added with concern.

"I wasn't accusing her of anything," Maura responded with surprise.

"So your gaydar had a ping, was that it?" Jane snapped back irritably, surprising Maura.

"You surprise me, Jane," Maura said disapprovingly. "You act like it would be a crime to be gay. I never thought you were prejudiced against homosexuals," she said.

"I'm not! It's just . . . ," Jane said, then blew out a frustrated breath and continued. "Just because she has a tough image or a typically male job doesn't mean she's gay! Policewomen constantly get unfairly branded and harassed about their sexuality all the time," Jane said emphatically.

"I wasn't trying to brand or harass anyone," Maura countered strongly. "Besides, gender studies indicate that there is a larger percentage of lesbian women in the law enforcement…."

"Maura!" Jane interrupted with a moan, really not wanting to hear about gender studies or how many homosexuals are estimated to be on the force.

"I'm just saying that…"

"So you are branding her gay because….?" Jane said.

Maura frowned. "I wasn't branding! I was . . . speculating," she admitted distastefully. "Which I'll admit is highly out of character for me and that I should never have attempted to discuss my thoughts without sufficient substantiating data," she said tersely. "Is there anything else, Detective?"

"Maura…" Jane said wearily as Dr. Isles turned to the dead body, which apparently was far more interesting than the live detective in her morgue. Knowing she wasn't going to make things any better by trying to force a mad Maura to talk to her, she reluctantly left.

* * *

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3 Evidence Gathering

**FF: Facts, Just the Facts (CH 3)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Evidence Gathering**

Jane shook the small metal detector with irritation. It didn't even detect the 35 cents in change she found by her good old-fashioned flashlight and blind hand sifting. With a growl, she tossed the worthless device aside and pointed her trusty flashlight under another bush, what felt like the millionth one that evening. She was about to give up hope of finding the bloody projectile when a small reflection in the dirt caught her eye. With a spark of anticipation, she crawled on her knees, which were soaking up the moisture from the still muddy ground.

She growled when one of the branches she had pushed out of the way sprung back and slapped her in the face. Once she got to the shiny speck, her purple-gloved fingers dug through the muddy dirt to reveal a spherical object with pointed protrusions. "Ha!" she said victoriously and quickly bagged the evidence.

"Frost! This is it!" she said triumphantly.

"Thank god we're done!" he said, standing up from an adjacent bush where he had been scanning with a hand-held metal detector. He groaned as he rubbed his back.

"You're too young for back pains," she commented with a smirk.

"I'm too young to be out this late," he countered as he walked up to her.

She stared at the overhead bridge, then looked at him. "If we assume someone was on the overpass with a slingshot, we should be able to figure out the height of the unsub with what we have right?"

Frost took the evidence bag and looked at the bridge. "I'll need to get the height of the bridge and then use Dr. Isles' data from the body, with a few assumptions about the position of the head . . . we could get a range of heights," he said. "Not exactly conclusive, Rizzoli."

Jane frowned. "You're sounding like Maura. Come on, let's start measuring!"

"Now?"

"No time like the present," she grinned.

"To sleep!" Frost complained, getting a heavy sigh from his partner.

"All right sleeping beauty," she relented. "Go home and get some zees. But you'd better be bright-eyed and bushy tailed and ready to kick ass tomorrow!" she called out to her partner, who had already departed for his car.

Jane shook her head and sighed with a smirk. Vince would have never admitted wanting a break first. Guess that's the difference between old school and today's batch of detectives, she thought.

The sound of footfalls startled Jane, whose hand instinctively went to her weapon as she quickly turned to face the unexpected noise. She stopped herself from drawing her gun when she saw who was there.

"You really don't like donuts do you?" the Lieutenant said wryly, walking up with a bag and a tray of three coffees. Impeccably dressed as always, Jane thought, absently glancing down at her wrinkled shirt and muddy jeans with irritation.

"Checking up on me?" Jane blurted with irritation.

"Do I need to?" The Lieutenant countered conversationally as she went to a bench and sat.

"No," Jane said tightly, wanting to punch her. Thankfully, she didn't need Korsak to recognize that was a bad plan.

"I got old-fashioned ones. I prefer chocolate-covered but the icing always gets stuck to the bag," she said with a slight frown. "The coffee is black – I don't like to bother with sugar or cream packages," she said, leaning towards the still-standing detective to hand over a coffee to a confused detective.

"Thanks," Jane said uneasily and sat down. She glanced over to see a donut being offered. She hesitantly accepted it, looking at it as if she had never seen a donut before.

"So, what are your thoughts on the case?" the Lieutenant asked, dunking a donut in the coffee and taking a healthy bite.

"You weren't lurking in the shadows listening?" Jane asked flippantly.

"Didn't get here soon enough," she said, sipping her coffee.

"Why are you here? I'm getting the impression that you don't trust me. And I have done absolutely nothing to warrant that lack of trust on a case. I may not have conducted myself as smartly as I should have but . . . why are you here?"

The Lieutenant chewed her donut a moment and looked at Jane. After swallowing, she took a sip of coffee before speaking. "I've known a lot of police officers in my career. On paper and by reputation, they were outstanding. Almost super-cops. But I've been disappointed too many times to trust that paper and those reputations," she said, sipping her coffee. "So I've learned to only trust my own observations."

"And from your observations so far, I'm a total fuck-up," Jane said flatly.

"Jury is still out on that, Rizzoli. Though I still think you have your head up your ass," she offered, biting her donut.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Jane said with annoyance.

"No," she said, making Jane more frustrated. "But you are letting yourself get distracted."

"Well with my head up my ass, it is rather hard to concentrate on anything else…not to mention sit down comfortably," Jane countered sarcastically.

The Lieutenant chuckled. "You should really try the donut," she said, finishing hers.

Jane looked down at hers. "Isn't this a little cliché? Cops and their donuts?"

"Perhaps. But I don't worry too much about stereotypes or what people think of me anymore. I've learned that as long as I do my job well, it's no one's fucking concern. I'm a cop who loves donuts - deal with it!" she declared defiantly.

Jane looked at her with reluctant amusement, then looked at her donut and took a bite, which melted in her mouth. "Good GOD these are good!" she said with a mouthful, looking between the unexpectedly delicious treat and her boss with amazement.

"Told you," she said smugly, sipping her coffee.

"Where did you get them?" Jane asked, knowing she would have heard about a bakery that made donuts as good as these.

"Homemade."

"You made them?" Jane asked with surprised.

"Hell no. I don't cook."

"I can cook," Jane blurted, then felt stupid, gaining the Lieutenant's thoughtful gaze. It was a long uncomfortable moment before she responded.

"And you're taller than I am," she stated with an annoyingly knowing smirk.

"You dress nicer," Jane offered lamely. That much would be evident to a blind woman, Rizzoli thought with an internal groan.

"Only after years of training by someone who really cares about clothes," she said with a laugh, then sobered and looked at her curiously. "Are you really worried about being compared to me, Rizzoli?"

"I . . ." Jane said, not knowing how to answer that.

"Don't be. You've got a lot going for you, even if you're not on your A-game at the moment. I had a similar problem once. And I got through it, so there's hope for you yet," she said, standing up and sticking her hands in her coat pocket. "I know I'm going to regret this but…if you need to talk about it, I'll listen."

Jane was wondering what the hell she was talking about, though it sort of seemed like a pep-talk, in a back-handed complimentary sort of way. But what problem? Talk about what?

"Kids these days," the Lieutenant said, motioning to the third coffee and shook her head. "My partner, Harry, would never have admitted he was tired before a mere woman," she chuckled at the memory. "Goddamn chauvinist pig," she muttered fondly, making Jane chuckle in spite of her confusion.

"If you want, you can tell Frost I came by and was wondering where he was," she said with a slight grin.

Jane chuckled again, considering it. "He'd be on pins and needles around you all day, hell, probably all week."

"Yeah," she readily acknowledged, her smile still in place. "See you tomorrow, Rizzoli," she said and walked off into the darkness.

**R&I**

"Hey, Jane! The computers are back!" Frost greeted her happily as she came to her desk the next morning. He was well rested and on his computer, finishing the projectile path calculations. "But…I have coffee," he said curiously when Jane placed a large cup on his desk, next to his cup.

"That's from the Lieutenant," Jane said with a shrug as he picked it up.

"It's . . .why would she give me cold coffee?" he said, glancing towards the Lieutenant's office curiously.

"It wasn't cold when she stopped by last night, after you left," she noted conversationally, logging onto her computer.

"She was at the scene last night?" He squeaked, which was a new sound for him, Jane noted with amusement.

"Brought coffee and donuts. Damn good donuts," she said appreciatively.

Frost looked at her suspiciously, trying to gauge her. His eyes widened when he spotted the Lieutenant walk towards Vince with a folder.

"Lieutenant, thanks again for the coffee and donuts," Jane said to her.

"Thought you might appreciate it, after putting in all the extra hours last night," she answered, then eyed Frost for a long moment. He physically shrank in his seat.

Wondering what was going on, Korsak eyed Jane curiously, receiving an innocent shrug from his former partner.

Jane barely withheld a grin as she logged onto her computer, considering the Lieutenant might work out after all.

**R&I**

"Guess who has a three million dollar life insurance policy?" Jane said with a big smile as she went into Maura's office.

Maura looked up with a welcoming smile that always lifted Jane's spirits.

"Greg Johnston?"

"Ding ding ding, give the lovely lady a prize!" Jane said with a grin, sitting on the edge of Maura's desk.

"That is certainly an interesting bit of information," Maura allowed.

"It certainly is. There's more," Jane said enthusiastically, making Maura smile; Jane's recent funk seemed to be over.

"Do tell," Maura said with interest.

"I shall," Jane answered primly. "His only remaining relatives are his brother Richard and sister Gwyneth who are, interestingly, the beneficiaries."

"Hmm. They came in yesterday to identify the body," Maura said thoughtfully. "They both seemed quite upset."

"I'm sure they were," Jane said with a thin smile. "Seems our investigation is interesting the insurance company; they've placed a hold on a payout until the cause has been determined. So how's the forensics on the projectile?"

"The blood found matches the victim and the shape matches the indentation. It is the object that hit Mr. Johnston," she said confidently. "Though I am not familiar with the projectile's origin," she added with a frown.

"Ah," Jane said with a satisfied smile. "Well, it seems that this is a specially made martial arts weapon used in martial arts tournaments," Jane said and saw Maura's face cringe in confusion.

"Why would anyone compete with a throwing weap…?"

"Illegal tournaments - like the Fight Club," Jane explained.

"Fight club?"

"An underground fight with no rules that people gamble on?" she explained.

"They fight in . . . mines?" Maura said in confusion.

"Maura! Fight Club is…."

"Whoa, Rizzoli! What's the first rule of Fight Club?" the Lieutenant said, joining them in Maura's office.

"Don't talk about Fight Club," Jane replied solemnly, completely confusing Maura.

"Why on Earth not?!" Maura said with irritation, looking between the amused women.

The Lieutenant motioned to Jane to have her explain.

"We were quoting the movie lines from the movie Fight Club."

"I see," Maura said flatly, clearly unimpressed, which made the women more amused.

"Ok Rizzoli, how would you like to visit the brother with me?" the Lieutenant said, looking at her expectantly.

"No Frost?" Jane asked curiously, wondering why the Lieutenant wanted to do an interview with her. Was it that she still didn't trust her? Jane wondered with niggling irritation.

"He'll be with Korsak, visiting the sister."

"OK?" Jane said uncertainly, seeing the Lieutenant nod and walk out. Jane frowned slightly.

"I'll meet you at my car in fifteen," the Lieutenant said, pausing at the door. "Very nice outfit, by the way, Dr. Isles," she said with a warm smile and walked out.

"Thank you," Maura called out with a smile.

Jane glanced over Maura's outfit. Of course the outfit was very nice; it was always very nice. When her eyes lifted up, pausing at Maura's chest, her friend spoke, jarring her out of her appreciation of her . . . outfit.

"Seems you two are getting along better," Maura said happily, looking where the Lieutenant left with a warm smile.

"Yeah, I guess. Something is still . . . ," Jane said before pausing and shaking her head.

"Still…?" Maura prompted curiously.

"Off," she said, shrugging, not wanting to get into it any further, suspecting she would end up annoying Maura . . . again.

"How so?" Maura really wanted to help Jane through her difficulties with her boss, who seemed so much like Jane that she was honestly surprised the two had not hit it off.

"Uh, I'm not sure," she said honestly but quickly added "I've gotta go. Don't need to annoy her by being late," Jane said wearily.

"Don't worry, Jane. I am sure things will work out well between you," Maura said with a confident smile. Jane had an ability to make people comfortable that she had always admired.

Jane was warmed by Maura's tireless support. "I'll see you later. Oh, and I love your dress," she offered, glancing over her outfit once more with a smile, surprising Maura, who silently watched Jane quickly leave to meet her boss.

Maura's fingers absently trailed down the seam of her plunging neckline as a pleased smile formed.

* * *

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4 Planting Seeds

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 4)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

By Enginerd

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Planting Seeds**

As they walked to the Aston Martin together, Jane looked at the nice ride, then at her boss curiously, wondering if she might get to drive. As the Lieutenant put her sunglasses on, she said "No chance in hell, Rizzoli," before going to the driver's side.

With a sigh, Jane got in, glad she had not embarrassed herself more by actually asking; but it was a sweet ride, she considered as she buckled up.

**R&I**

As they arrived at their destination, Jane looked curiously at the storefront. "Johnston's Martial Arts school? I thought he was a banker," Jane said in confusion.

"He is. I checked out other leads based on your research of the projectile. This is a business investment of his and a part-time hobby," the Lieutenant said. "Lose the badge and sidearm."

"I'm sorry?" Jane said in confusion, staring at her as she took her own weapon and badge and placed them in the center console.

"I want to feel them out without the hardware," she said, opening up the glove box for Jane, who hesitantly took her badge and weapon and placed them in the glove box.

"Just follow my lead," she said, getting out of the car. An uneasy Jane followed.

**R&I**

"May I help you?" A muscular man in a black gi emerged from behind the front counter and approached them with a pleasant smile.

The Lieutenant took her sunglasses off and surveyed the room, not immediately answering. Trophies and pictures of students at tournaments adorned the wall. At the center of the room were mats, where a student and a curly haired blond, female instructor were going over forms. On the front counter, a clear collection can for the American Cancer society sat, with only a few handfuls of small change in it. Next to the counter was an antique gumball machine, which was almost full with colorful spheres. Finally, her gaze returned to the man. "I hope so," she said with a smile, which was returned uncertainly by the man.

"My friend and I were wondering if there were any martial arts tournaments coming up."

"Are you interested in competing?" he asked with surprise, looking over the two women critically. Normally younger people pursued the tournament circuit. Though these two seemed in good shape, he considered.

Jane's eyes widened as she wondered what the hell her new boss was getting them into.

"Oh no," the Lieutenant said with a chuckle, to Jane's relief. "We're purely spectators," she added. "Frankly, I'm tired of baseball and football and just discovered martial arts. I had no idea how exciting they were to watch until I saw a match in New York," she said, getting him to smile slightly. "Person against person, matching the physical skill and wit of each competitor. Art mixed with an incredibly intense sport. It's . . . exhilarating."

Jane thought she was laying it on a bit thick until she saw the man's broad smile; he clearly agreed with her assessment.

"Well, if you are staying a while, we have a city tournament coming up in a week, then a county event in two. Our members are expected to make a good showing," he said helpfully.

"Oh," she said with disappointment. "I was hoping for something a bit more…aggressive to watch."

"I'm sorry?" he responded hesitantly.

"Something that one might wager on?" Jane spoke up, getting a nod from her boss.

"I'm afraid I don't know anything about what you're interested in," the muscular man said uncomfortably.

"Too bad. Is the owner here?" the Lieutenant asked, glancing once again around the dojo.

"No, he works . . . elsewhere," he said vaguely, growing more uncomfortable at the questioning.

"Oh, too bad. Well, if you hear something about what we're interested in, I'd love a call," she said handing him a business card with a hundred dollar bill, neatly tucked beneath it.

Jane's eyes widened.

He looked down at the card. "I'm sorry I don't think there's anything I'll find like that, Ms. Largo," he said reading the name on the card and attempted to hand back the money.

"Marie, please. And I do understand quality entertainment is not cheap," she said with a smile, pushing back the card and bill. "Thanks for your time."

As they walked to the car, Jane whispered, "Do you always carry around business cards with false names and hundreds for incentive?"

"Doesn't hurt to be prepared," she said, getting into the car.

Inside, the curly haired woman finished with her student and joined the muscular man behind the counter. "Who were they, Bob?" she asked, curiously, glancing out the window to see a green Aston Martin with New York license plates drive away.

"Some women looking for an "aggressive" match to bet on. Not sure why they thought this place would be connected to anything like that. This is an honorable school," he said shaking his head with disapproval, throwing the business card in the trash. After depositing the hundred into the collection can on the counter for the American Cancer Society, he shook his head a sad, thoughtful moment.

"The next class will be arriving soon," he said briskly, looking at the clock on the wall. "I'll take out the towels from the dryer."

As he left for his chore, the woman instructor eyed the hundred in the collection can and glanced down to the card in the trash with a raised brow.

**R&I**

"Any luck with the sister, Gwyneth?" Jane looked up from her computer and asked Frost, who returned just after she and the Lieutenant did.

"Other than making her cry?" he said with a frown, sitting at his desk. "I think the highlight was when she threw us out after we suggested the brother might have motive. All in all, a pleasant afternoon" he said dryly.

"Why suggest the brother to her?" Jane asked curiously, though it did appear that there was interesting circumstantial evidence with the dojo connection.

"Well, Korsak brought a copy of the policy from the insurance company, which checks out with her story that she knew nothing about is. While they both are beneficiaries, her brother's signature was the only one on the policy."

"Hmmm," Jane offered as she tapped on her keyboard. "Korsak dig anything up on their finances yet?"

"No. He got his subpoena this morning."

"Hmmm," Jane responded again, still tapping on her keyboard. "Do you know how their parents died?"

Frost looked at her and blinked. "Car accident, why?"

"I wonder if there are any unusually high life insurance payouts for them," she offered with a shrug. He blinked at her again. "Hey, I just happen to believe in the innate badness of all people," she said unapologetically. "Well, except Maura."

"You've been around the block a few more times than I have," he acknowledged, quickly jotting down a note. "How did your visit with the brother pan out?" he asked, looking up.

"It didn't. We never saw him," Jane said, glancing back to the Lieutenant's office.

"Missed him?"

"I don't think the Lieutenant ever expected to see the brother," Jane said thoughtfully.

"So what did you do?"

"Plant some seeds," Jane said with a shrug. "The guy we talked to seemed on the up-and-up when we asked about interesting tournament gambling opportunities. I'm not so sure we'll get any bites," she said with a sigh.

Jane frowned, still pondering why the Lieutenant had a business card with a false name. She leaned back and stared over at the empty office a perplexed moment, before her cell phone went off.

"Rizzoli," she said briskly. "Hi, ma," she said wearily, sitting up straight and glancing at Frost, who had a smirk on his face. "Yeah. Yeah, ma. I'm not so . . . all right. I'll ask her but…. I know, six sharp," she said with a sigh. "Yeah, ma. Love you too."

She shut her cell and stared at it a moment, wondering what life might have been like before having that device. Much quieter, she quickly concluded and stood up. Looking over to the Lieutenant's empty office again, she smiled as an idea struck her and turned her gaze to a very happy Frost, who was typing away on his computer.

"Frost, I need you to run a check for me. A Marie Largo, Caucasian, mid-forties. Can you see what you can dig up on her?"

"Was that someone you met today at the dojo?"

"Yeah. Will you run the check? I need to…" Jane said, absently motioning towards the elevators and the morgue.

"…invite Dr. Isles to your mother's for dinner," he finished for her with a smug smile.

"Are you sure you want to be a detective and not a SPY?" Jane said with a frown. "So you'll do it?"

"Yeah. I wish your mom would invite me to dinner," Frost complained.

"I'll save you some leftovers, will that do?"

"Yeah! Don't forget the garlic bread," he said with a happy smile.

Jane looked at him and shook her head as she left.

**R&I**

"So, if the perp knew about the medical condition, what is the probability that they would have known their actions would have likely caused the victim's death?" the Lieutenant leaned against Maura's desk with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I am not sure how to assess that probability," Maura said honestly.

"Someone deliberately hit him in the head with that . . . spiky ball thing," she blurted, at a loss for the right name for the object, getting an amused smile from Maura. "Don't start," she warned the medical examiner whose smile widened. "Anything from toxicology?"

"I just got back the results, which were surprising," Maura offered.

"They drugged him too?" the Lieutenant asked.

"No, but if you let me finish," Maura scolded her. What was it with detectives and guessing, she wondered with mild frustration.

The Lieutenant raised her hands in surrender. "Enlighten me, doctor," she said with a smirk, getting a reluctant smile.

"The victim was taking a drug, abiraterone acetate."

"He's only twenty-nine and he has prostate cancer?" she responded with surprise.

"His private medical records have not been released yet but from my preliminary examination, it appears to have metastasized to the bladder and rectum - he was in an advanced stage."

"Doesn't make sense to risk the insurance – why not just wait for him to keel o…uh, die," the Lieutenant amended, not wanting to offend the medical examiner.

"There can be successful treatment, even in the advanced stages of cancer," Maura offered.

The Lieutenant nodded.

Maura eyed the brunette curiously. "How did your trip to the brother go?" Maura asked nonchalantly, actually more interested in how her trip with Jane went.

"We didn't find anything yet. But it seems like an interesting coincidence that the . . . the," the Lieutenant stumbled, looking for the right word.

"Spherical shuriken?" Maura supplied helpfully. "Though the typical shape of a shuriken is flat," she noted.

"A martial arts expert too, Doctor?" the Lieutenant asked with a smirk.

"Oh no," she readily admitted. "I just did some research on what Jane…Detective Rizzoli had found," Maura corrected herself.

"Dr Isles, I know you and Jane are friends. As long as it doesn't adversely affect the job and isn't illegal, I don't care who you or Rizzoli associate with in your free time."

Maura looked at her with a smile. "I can assure you our friendship positively affects our job performance," she said and added with amusement "and is not illegal."

The Lieutenant smiled slightly, not so sure about the effects on Rizzoli's job performance at the moment.

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Maura asked with a hopeful smile. "I think knowing you better will also positively affect our job performance," Maura added, considering it also might help Jane if they knew her better.

"I'd . . . like that," she responded with surprise. "Fiona never joins me for dinner," she grumbled.

"Whose Fiona?" Maura asked.

"Oh…the housekeeper. Amazing cook, but goes home as soon as my dinner is on the table," she noted. "I can't say that I blame her. She has her own family to think about."

"You have a housekeeper?" Maura asked curiously; she really didn't seem to be the type to have a housekeeper. She appeared to have the means, but seemed far too private and independent to let someone take care of her, Maura considered. Like Jane, she thought, then acknowledged that her people skills were a bit lacking and she might be reading the Lieutenant wrong.

"My better-half insisted," she said sheepishly with a shrug.

"You're married?!" Maura said with great surprise, immediately glancing to the Lieutenant's left ring finger, which now sported a simple gold band. She was surprised she hadn't noticed it before.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" she said flatly.

Maura was aghast with embarrassment.

"No! No, not at all! I was just surprised. Not surprised because I didn't think anyone would marry you because obviously you would be quite the catch," she blurted rapidly.

The Lieutenant eyed her silently; it was just too easy to tease the Doctor.

"…I mean it! Well, obviously someone thought so," Maura added, then winced at the surprised look on the Lieutenant's face. "Not to mean that . . . uh . . . I just hadn't realized, really," Maura blurted weakly in defeat, deciding further discussion was fruitless and would only serve to make things worse.

Seeing the worry on Maura's face, the Lieutenant started to feel guilty.

"Relax, Doc. I shouldn't tease you. I'm sorry," she said with an apologetic smile, relieving the medical examiner. Lifting her hand, she caressed the gold band with her thumb with a satisfied smile. "I'm married. Happily. Still want to have dinner with me?"

"Why would your marital status have any bearing on whether I would like to have dinner with you?" Maura asked honestly.

The Lieutenant just chuckled. "No good reason," she said with mild amusement, getting a slightly confused look from Maura. "So when, where?" she continued, expecting the evening to be…interesting, for Dr. Maura Isles was certainly that. "I'm still new to the area and I trust your…," she continued, but was interrupted when Jane barreled in.

"Maura! Ma wanted me to invite you to . . . ," Jane blurted, then stopped seeing her boss in Maura's office. ". . . dinner," the word left her mouth in a frustrated exhale. "Sorry."

"You've got interesting timing, Rizzoli. I'll give you that," the Lieutenant said, eyeing her with a small smile.

"Jane, I've already made plans this evening," Maura said apologetically.

"I'll understand if you want to make it another night, Dr. Isles," the Lieutenant offered graciously, causing a look of consternation on Jane's face as she realized Maura's plans were with the Lieutenant.

"No, no," Maura quickly countered. "I meant it. I'd really like to have dinner with you tonight." Maura turned to her friend. "Jane?"

Jane blinked at her, still wondering why Maura would really like to have dinner with the Lieutenant.

"Please tell your mother thank you for the invitation . . . but I have other plans," Maura said apologetically.

"Uh . . . sure. Sure! Don't worry about it," Jane said, plastering on a smile.

"Are you ready now? I'm starving. We never got a chance for lunch," the Lieutenant said, motioning to Jane, who blankly looked between the two women…who were going out to dinner. Together.

"Let me get my purse," Maura said warmly and quickly retrieved the designer bag. Pausing in front of Jane, she asked with a slight wince "You'll tell her I look forward to a rain check?" she asked hopefully. She really enjoyed dinner at the Rizzoli's - and not just for the delicious food.

"Sure, don't worry about it. Ma likes you best anyway, so you'll always be welcome," she joked, getting a big smile that would have made her feel really good, had Maura not been leaving with the Lieutenant.

* * *

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5 Fight Club

FF: Facts, Just the Facts (CH 5)

A Rizzoli & Isles Story

By Enginerd

**Chapter 5 – Fight Club**

"What's wrong now," Angela asked flatly, eyeing her daughter, who poked at her lasagna for fifteen minutes without taking a bite. "And don't slouch, Jane. It's unattractive," she scolded.

Jane rolled her eyes and sighed, sitting up straighter. "Better," Angela said. "Now, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said weakly, turning her attention to her less demanding parent. "How was your day, Pop?"

"Quiet. Just like I like it," Frank Sr. said, taking a sip of red wine. Jane nodded absently and returned to staring at her food, poking at it occasionally. For some reason, she was not very hungry.

Angela looked at Frank Junior questioningly, usually able to get some information from him. He just shrugged and quietly ate his garlic bread. Angela frowned.

"So Frankie, did you get a date yet for the benefit?" Angela asked.

Jane sighed, relieved her mother's attention was finally on someone else.

"Ma, I told you, I'm not going – I'm on duty. But Jane's going, right Jane?" Frankie said, smiling unrepentantly at his sister, who was giving him the evil eye. Though she reluctantly had to appreciate his skill at deflection.

"I would ask your sister the same thing, but I know I'd be disappointed with her answer. It's too bad Lieutenant Grant left. I think you two would have . . . ," Angela said.

"Ma! Enough about Grant, all right?" Jane growled.

"I'm just saying," Angela said with a shrug, taking a sip of her wine. "So am I to assume you are going alone?"

"Yes, ma. I'm going alone. But I'm at Maura's table so I'll have someone who will actually want to talk to me," Jane said with a thin smile.

"Because you are such the great dinner table conversationalist," Angela replied, seeing Jane roll her eyes and continue to absently poke at her food. "Jane, does the food taste THAT bad?"

"It's fine," she said.

"Uh Huh. That's why you're licking your plate clean," she said with a frown.

"Ma, I'm just not that hungry. Had a big lunch," Jane said, grateful the topic had shifted from her nonexistent love life.

"What did you have?" Angela challenged, knowing a lie when she heard it.

Jane paused. "Ah . . . sandwich. A big one," she said stubbornly, not wanting to admit she hadn't had lunch.

"You know, you can talk to us if you are having troubles," Angela said with concern. "Is it your boss still?" She asked with a sympathetic wince.

Frank Senior and Junior looked at each other, then busily focused on eating their dinner.

Jane snorted dismissively. "Of course not. She hadn't told me I had my head up my ass for over a day – which is pretty good progress, don't you think?" Jane responded, tearing a piece of garlic bread off and shoving it in her mouth with a fake smile.

"Jane, she just doesn't know you," Angela said supportively. "Maybe you could try and follow Dr. Isle's example and get to know her," she offered helpfully. "Of course, you'd actually have to talk for that to work," she said sarcastically.

Jane angrily stared at her mother, really not wanting to think about Maura's dinner with her boss at the moment. She wanted to ignore it. And THAT was hard to do with everyone bugging her about it!

"Whaaat?!" Angela responded defensively. "You clam up when you're bothered! Like now! And that's not healthy, Jane."

"What? Are you a doctor now, Ma?" Jane countered.

"I just think talking to her will help. Who knows? You two might even become friends."

"MA!"

"Your mother has a point, Jane," Frank Senior unexpectedly chimed in.

Jane looked at him, startled. His survival instincts kicking in, Frank Junior remained silent and ate his lasagna, hoping no one asked him his opinion on anything.

"I do?" Angela softly said with surprise then quickly recovered. "Of course I do!" she boomed with a big smile and looked at Jane earnestly. "You two are a lot a like, you know. You're both in a male dominated field – It couldn't have been easy for either of . . . ," she said.

"Hold that thought, Ma. I've got a call," Jane interrupted with a thin smile, feeling a welcome buzz at her side. "Excuse me," she said, immediately getting up from the table and leaving the unwanted discussion to answer her wonderfully helpful communication device in the next room. "Rizzoli."

Angela rolled her eyes in frustration. It wasn't the first time Jane had abruptly left when she had something important to tell her.

"_Are you able to break free in about ten minutes?" _

"What's happening? Is Maura all right?!" Jane blurted with concern at the unexpected call from her boss.

"_She's fine. Marie Largo has been invited to a tournament tonight."_

"Was it the brother?" Jane asked, surprised at the quick response to the bait. Though, it would make some sense if money was needed so badly as to prompt a murder, she considered.

"_No. It was a woman, who didn't identify herself, but gave me an address. A warehouse on the waterfront."_

"Will we have backup?"

"_Frost and Korsak will be in a surveillance van and we'll have uniforms ready to clean up."_

"You work fast," Jane said with genuine surprise. Though if she thought about it, the Lieutenant did work fast, Jane reconsidered with a frown, wondering just how much better Maura had gotten to know the Lieutenant this evening.

"_Gotta be ready when the opportunity presents itself - you know that. I'll be in front of your parents' house to pick you up in about ten." _

When she hung up, Jane stared at the phone with mixed emotions; one was a surprising sense of relief that Maura's dinner with her boss had been cut short. While Maura had gone out on a few dates since they had met, none of them had bothered her so much.

Well, there was that double date when Maura tried to hook her up with Nurse Jorge, while yoga grabby hands was trying to play tonsil hockey with Maura at their dinner table, which she did not need to see, thank you very much. But she really couldn't blame him for wanting Maura; she was exceptionally hot. And persistent to hook her up, Jane considered with a frown. Why on Earth had Maura pushed so hard for her to take her date home for sex? She even went so far as to offering her toiletries, taking away her one excuse for not wanting to. Who the hell carried extra toiletries around with her on the off chance an emergency leg shaving was needed?!

Against her better judgment, she took Jorge home. Thankfully, the guy was upfront about not wanting to go to work. Yuck, she thought with a cringe. Sure she was an independent woman and didn't need a man to support her, but damn!

She could never be with someone who did not have some sort of career or calling. She wanted someone who had similar goals in life . . . someone she could respect and admire.

She had to smirk at how her parents would react if she actually hooked up with Mr. Mom. Her mother would not have minded him being a nurse; it was close enough to her goal of having Jane marry a doctor or lawyer. But she would have had a cow if she learned Jorge's life goal was to be the "wife." Well, unless she got grandkids from that arrangement, Jane considered with a frown. That seemed to be her mother's main goal now – to be a grandmother. Catholics are told to go forth and multiply, she considered. But then, Catholics are told lots of things she didn't necessarily agree with. If only Frankie would get himself a girlfriend and distract her mother from nagging her so often….

"Jane, come back to the dinner table; your food's getting cold," Angela called out.

"Sorry, Ma, I gotta go. Save some leftovers for me?" Jane called back, heading out the door without waiting for an answer.

**R&I**

They parked down the street from an old warehouse by the waterfront. The entrance was lit by a rusted, single-bulb lamp that hung over a door that looked far sturdier than the walls it was attached to. There were several expensive cars parked along the street, a clear indication something was happening. Further down the road was the surveillance van.

"Red Sox one, do you copy? This is Yankees two," the Lieutenant asked, adjusting the wireless ear bud.

"Yankees two, this is Red Sox one, we copy." Korsak's voice responded. Jane adjusted her ear bud with a frown.

"Roger that," the Lieutenant said.

"Yankees two? Red Sox one?" Jane asked with a cringe.

"It's the only joy they'll get being Red Sox fans this year," she answered with a confident smirk. Jane rolled her eyes, not amused.

Jane face crunched up in consternation when she detected a subtle fragrance in the closed confines of the Aston Martin. She never noticed the Lieutenant wearing any perfume before. But Jane knew that delicate scent.

The Lieutenant finished placing her wedding ring on the gold chain around her neck, next to her St. Michael's medal. She kissed the ring, a promise she would not just let St. Michael do all of the heavy lifting for her protection, before tucking it and the medal back under her blouse. "You ready?"

It was… one of Maura's favorite fragrances, Jane considered as her stomach dropped, thinking of the various modes of transference from one woman to another. Jesus! They had time for that but not dinner!?

"Rizzoli!"

"What?!" Jane snapped, glaring at the quick operator, then exhaled with irritation, realizing it not wise to lash out at one's boss. Especially if the attention she gave Maura was . . . wanted. That thought caused a tightening around her heart.

"Look, Rizzoli. If your head is not in the game, I can't afford to have you with me," she said, carefully eyeing Jane.

"Lieutenant, I'm good. I'm good," Jane repeated, failing to sound convincing; she really wished she hadn't recognized the scent or continued to think about modes of….

"Not tonight, Rizzoli. Just sit tight, unless you hear that I need some help. Then I expect you to haul ass to help. Understood?" she said tersely, some frustration coming through. Jane frowned but nodded, reluctantly acknowledging she was not focused on what she needed to be.

The Lieutenant glanced around the street as she headed over to the warehouse, leaving Jane alone in the car with the remnants of Maura's fragrance taunting her. How the hell was she going to work with the two of them now? Her best friend and her boss. Her female boss, she amended as she watched her walk towards the warehouse door in another disgustingly nice outfit.

What was it about her that made Maura want to date her? Maura surely wasn't that superficial to be attracted to the tailored clothes, fancy car, and position of authority, she considered watching the Lieutenant pull out a thin billfold from her breast pocket and hand the guy a bill. Unable to see what it was, she could only guess that it was another hundred. It wasn't the first time she watched her drop a large bill as if it meant nothing, Jane recalled the hundred at the Martial Arts school.

Jane frowned. Maura had money. More than she could ever hope of making in a lifetime, she considered. And people tend to gravitate towards the same social classes, as Maura had explained during a case. It wasn't rocket science as to why - it was just easier. She certainly couldn't just dive into her own wallet and hand out hundreds, Jane considered with a heavy sigh as she watched her boss enter the warehouse.

She couldn't take Maura to nice fancy restaurants with expensive Champagne, unless that was all they had for dinner . . . and shared a glass.

Maura enjoyed the finer things in life. Not that Maura thought any less of anyone for not having those things, Jane considered. But Maura deserved to have the best. And she deserved to be happy. Jane frowned, never having expected what would make Maura happy would be … a woman…who was her boss.

"_Jane, are you still there?" Frost said._

"Frost, where the hell do you think she is? Of course she's still there," Korsak said impatiently, glaring at the young man.

"Yes I'm here and can still hear you," Jane said with exasperation.

"_Get your fucking hand off me or I'll break it," the Lieutenant snapped._

"That doesn't sound good," Korsak said unnecessarily.

"_Come on honey, don't be that way," a male voice said. "You came alone – you don't have to stay alone."_

"I should go in," Jane said anxiously, placing her hand on the door handle, then paused with dread. How would she get in, she wondered, knowing all she had was twenty-three dollars and change on her. Damn it, she thought with guilt, knowing if she had just focused on the task at hand, the Lieutenant wouldn't be alone. She pulled out her weapon, nervously considering storming the place…until she heard a sickening crack.

"_AAAAAGH! Fuck! You crazy bitch! You broke my hand!"_

"Sounds like she has it covered," Korsak responded with a smirk.

"_I did warn you, asshole."_

"Oh yes she did!" Frost snorted with amusement.

"_Trouble here?" a female voice said smoothly, apparently not overly concerned._

"_Not for me," the Lieutenant said cockily. _

Hearing Korsak and Frost snicker, Jane rolled her eyes; they were enjoying this entirely too much.

"_Thomas, go have that looked at."_

"_But she broke my fucking…!"_

"_Thomas. Go."_

"I bet she wears the pants in the family," Korsak offered with a smirk.

Jane just shook her head.

"_Great place you're running here," the Lieutenant said flatly._

"_You're leaving?" the woman said with surprise._

"_Playing hard to get . . . nice," Korsak said approvingly._

Jane sighed, thinking the Lieutenant didn"t seem the type who would ever play hard to get. The thought made her more depressed.

"You know, I bet the Lieutenant is having trouble concentrating with you too yapping so much!" Jane snapped.

"Got up on the wrong side of the bed, did we, Rizzoli?" Korsak responded.

"Life's too short to be around scum like that."

"_Well, we do get all types. And a successful, attractive woman should be used to unwanted attention from time to time."_

"_Is that why you took up self-defense and became an instructor?" the Lieutenant asked smoothly._

"That must be the female instructor we saw at the dojo earlier!" Jane said with interest, thankful there was something to do besides listening to her current and former partner's commentary. "She had curly blond hair and was about five feet, six inches, with green eyes."

"_Something like that."_

"Got it. Frost is looking on-line for the school now to see if we can ID her," Korsak said as Barry swiftly Googled.

"Was she pretty?" Frost asked.

"_You know, if you leave now, you'll miss the main event. I think it will be worth your while."_

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Jane snapped defensively. Why was he asking her about her opinion on a woman's beauty? Why would he think she would even have one?!

"_How so? Neanderthals like Thomas slugging it out in a cage? Not exactly what I want to see," the Lieutenant responded, unimpressed._

"Well, there are two blond women instructors and one is pretty, the other…not so much," Korsak explained.

"_I am certain you will not be disappointed with the main fight."_

"Oh," Jane said with a weary sigh, rubbing her eyes. She hated to admit she was out of sorts. But she was. Big time. "Very pretty."

"_Really? Who are the fighters?"_

"_Two local black belts who have something to prove."_

"_And a purse to win?"_

"_That too," the woman laughed._

"Very pretty? You think so? I really don't see it," Frost offered.

"No. Jane's right. She's very pretty."

"Oh for God's sake! Do you two idiots have a name yet?" Jane blurted.

"No need to be rude – I was agreeing with you," Korsak said defensively. "What's with you tonight, Rizzoli?"

"Julia Fontaine," Frost answered, ignoring Jane's mood. "I'm sorry, but she's not all that."

"I never said….ugh," Jane said and gave up. It was like arguing with her mother.

"Who's your friend, Julia?" Another female voice sounded.

"She's got more company," Frost offered unnecessarily.

"_This is Marie Largo, darling. I'm hoping to convince her to stay."_

"J…JANE! I can't believe you. Are you nuts?!" Frost sputtered.

"_But the main event hasn't even started." _

"What'd she do?" Korsak quickly asked, confused by the younger man's outburst.

"_Thomas was an ass towards her."_

Jane winced, thankful they were not in the same vehicle.

"Nothing I want to discuss now, isn't that right…JANE?!" Frost spat.

"Good idea, Frost," Jane said rolling her eyes.

"_I'm so sorry, Ms. Largo. I will speak to him."_

"We'll be discussing it later, though," Frost said with irritation.

"_Hon, I think Ms. Largo got her point across quite effectively. She broke his hand," Julia said with amusement._

"Yeah, Yankees Two, let's try to focus on the task at hand," Korsak said, still not sure of the reason for Frost's tangent, but knew they had a job to do.

"_I see. Well, I wish I could say he hasn't deserved it before now," the new woman said ruefully. "He has a habit of underestimating the women he pursues and overestimating his magnetism. Again, my apologies."_

"Bite me, Red Sox One," Jane said testily.

"_Water under the bridge. You two run this . . . event?"_

"_Well, she's the brains behind it and I'm a simple hostess."_

"_Darling, you are far . . . from a simple . . . hostess," the redhead said silkily. _

"You know, that sounds an awful lot like Johnston's sister, Gwyneth," Frost said with surprise.

"Hey, you're right," Korsak agreed with even more surprise.

"It happens," Frost said flatly, glaring at him as they heard a kissing sound, followed by a slight hum of appreciation.

"Well don't they sound friendly," Korsak noted with a smirk.

Jane dropped her head into her hands. Great. The leading suspects are . . . lesbians.

"_I don't suppose I could get a bit more information about the fighters? I'm not in the habit of just randomly placing bets on unknowns."_

"_I think Julia can help you out there. I need to get ready to introduce the fighters."_

**R&I**

Jane heard a loud, enthusiastic crowd, clapping and whistling as the event was starting.

"_Red Sox One, Rizzoli . . . show time," the Lieutenant said._

"This is it!" Frost said with excitement, taking his headset off. When he and Korsak got out of the van, they saw Jane already headed towards the warehouse door as five patrol cars and a prisoner transport van pulled into the street.

"Jesus," Jane said with amazement at the strong police presence the Lieutenant brought to bear so quickly, not that she minded when she knocked at the door and the large man opened up.

"You're too late. Fight's started," he growled, crossing his arms over his broad chest with no intention of letting her in.

"Actually, I'm just in time," she said flashing her badge and a smile as several comforting uniforms came up behind her in a wall of black. "Step back slo . . . ," she instructed as the doorman's eyes widened and he quickly stepped back to reach for something behind the door.

"Freeze, Police!" Jane snapped, grabbing for her weapon as he pressed a button that set off a loud alarm and frenzy within the building. As she withdrew her sidearm, the behemoth charged at her . . . with a knife, perversely satisfied to see her eyes widen in alarm.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6 Worse for Wear

FF: Facts, Just the Facts (CH 6)

A Rizzoli & Isles Story

By Enginerdthebard

**Chapter 6 – Worse for Wear**

"Rizzoli? Rizzoli!"

**R&I**

Reds and blues are such pretty colors. Comforting, even when flashing. Black is comforting too . . . is black a color, or an absence of color?

Maura would know. Maura knows practically everything, like how to dress. Man, does she know how to dress.

Maura would look good in reds, blues, greens, yellows or . . . hell, in any color… or absence of color. Like that little black dress she has, which hugs her amazing … assets. But she looks good in anything - even in my favorite worn out Red Sox jersey. She looked damn fine in my Patriots jersey too, but I lost that one. I must have lost it at the Soap and Suds Laundromat when my dryer was on the fritz. I might still have it if I had taken Ma up on her offer but GOD she can be so annoying. I know she would have turned the visit to a long discussion on how nice it would be for me to be doing laundry for someone I love…yadda yadda.

I'm so glad Maura didn't mind borrowing those shirts; they were definitely not those expensive silk pajamas that she loves. But I really didn't want her to go home, not even with a promise of immediately returning after collecting her stuff. Being a Hoyt victim, again, sucked. But she made those nights bearable, better than bearable. I almost forgot why she was there when she came out of the bathroom in my old jersey. She looked good. So. Damn. Good.

Maura would be horrified that the Red Sox jersey hadn't been washed since that night. But it smells like her. God, she smells good too. So. Damn. Good. Not because of expensive perfume, though when she does wear it she always wears such nice fragrances. But Maura has good taste…in everything. She wouldn't be caught dead in that Mary Avon stuff that Ma got me for Christmas one year. Who knew you could get perfume by the gallon? But it stank, regardless of the bulk savings or impressive ability to dissolve the grime off the bathroom tile, which Pop tipped me off to. You'd think your own mother would know you have a sensitive nose.

Sensitive enough to detect traces of Maura's perfume on the Lieutenant…

Oh, Maura.

Why her?

**R&I**

"Gah!" Jane blurted with a cringe, abruptly rolling her throbbing head away from the smelling salts beneath her nose, which prompted more pain. Not one to try and repeat something that caused her pain, she weakly attempted to push away the paramedic's hand, which kept pushing that awful stinky thing under her nose.

"Detective Rizzoli?" the paramedic asked, finally taking the smelling salts away and pointing her penlight into Jane's eyes.

Jane squinted at the painful brightness. "Eh . . . stop!" she demanded groggily, trying to swat the light away but her coordination was too sluggish to succeed.

"Rizzoli, don't fight her! She's here to help," the Lieutenant blurted as they hauled Rizzoli onto the gurney.

"You have a concussion and a knife wound in your side. We're taking you to the hospital," the paramedic said, glancing to the Lieutenant, thankful for her help.

"Wha? What?" Jane said, trying to sit up from the gurney but felt a firm hand on her shoulder, minimizing the pain in her side from the wound.

"Jesus, Rizzoli. You're bleeding all over the place - will yah just let the paramedic do her damn job?" the Lieutenant said with frustration.

Jane blinked at her boss and nodded slightly before they lifted her gurney into the back of the ambulance.

Reds and blues are such pretty colors. Comforting even when flashing….

**R&I**

Korsak and Frost quietly chatted as they sat on plastic chairs, sipping bad hospital coffee. The conversation stopped when they heard the rapid click-clack of designer shoes. They looked up to find the medical examiner arriving.

"Is she all right?" Maura anxiously blurted as she joined them. Both men stood.

"Jane got a concussion and a knife wound. They're finished sewing her up and are taking x-rays now," Korsak reported.

"What happened?" she asked, looking between both men.

"She was run over by a tank," Frost said with a cringe, shaking his head.

Maura eyed him with confusion, not having heard of any plans that involved the military. "A big doorman," Vince explained, glaring at Frost.

"It took two tasers to finally take him down. The guy was high as a kite," Barry offered, causing Maura to frown as she thought of Jane confronting someone like that.

The three turned towards the Lieutenant, who walked towards them with a tense look on her face.

"The doctor wants to keep her overnight for observation because of the concussion," the Lieutenant announced as she joined them.

"What about the knife wound?" Maura said tightly, noticing the slight, guilty wince cross the Lieutenant's face.

"The cut was severe enough to require twenty three stitches," the Lieutenant offered, not one to mince words. Frost cringed as Korsak frowned. Maura remained neutral and waited for more information. "But no organs were injured."

"More scars," Maura said sadly but thankful it wasn't worse.

"Rizzoli is not very happy about staying," the Lieutenant said wearily.

"I'll bet," Korsak said with a snort. Frost just nodded.

"Can you please try to convince her she shouldn't leave until the doctor thinks it's ok?" the Lieutenant asked Maura hopefully.

"I'll try, but Jane can be stubborn," Maura noted, causing Korsak and Frost to look at each other at the gross understatement.

"Rizzoli's family should be here shortly, can you keep an eye out while we go to see her?" the Lieutenant asked the men.

"I don't know which is worse, trying to convince Jane to stay in a hospital or trying to convince Mrs. Rizzoli to stay calm," Korsak said, partially joking.

"They are both formidable women," Maura allowed before heading towards Jane's room.

**R&I**

"Jane!" Maura gasped at the sight before her. Jane quickly glanced up, stopping mid-shuffle. She was heading towards the closet, her hand at the back of her hospital gown, keeping it together. "What are you doing out of bed!"

Jane quickly recovered from her surprise and noted the Lieutenant standing just behind Maura, looking very much like a nice couple, in their expensive, tailored outfits. "My clothes. I'm looking for my clothes," Jane snarled. "Something that can cover my goddamn ass!"

"If you stayed in bed, you wouldn't have to worry about your . . . rear not being adequately covered," Maura said with a mix of concern and irritation as she and the Lieutenant approached her. Maura reached out to help Jane back to the bed.

"No," Jane said, pushing her hand away.

The action made Maura wince at the clear rejection.

"I'm gathering my clothes and getting out of here," Jane said tightly, trying not to show her self-inflicted discomfort.

"You need to rest, Jane," Maura argued. "You just got twenty three stitches! Not to mention you hit your head, which is quite evident at the moment!"

"I'll rest at home. I should have tomorrow off. Right, Lieutenant?" Jane asked with irritation.

"You take as much time as you need, Rizzoli," the Lieutenant said sincerely, getting Jane to nod curtly. After hearing Dr. Isles' endorsement, she hadn't expected Rizzoli to be so resistant to staying. But she should have known; it was what she would have wanted – to just go home after a bad day. Home, she considered, her thumb absently fingering her wedding band. She drew comfort from the act as her thoughts drifted to the loving embraces and kisses that could make her forget the bad and give her strength to continue the good fight.

"Jane, please. It is prudent for you to let the hospital keep an eye on you for at least the night in case there are any compl…." Maura tried to reason.

"Why are you not listening to me?!" Jane interrupted with frustration. "I am going home – either in my clothes or this goddamn gown!" Jane hissed and headed towards the closet, letting the back of it open up and her rear hang out in sheer defiance.

Maura frowned at the injuries on her friend's back and rear, which were going to become ugly bruises and cause discomfort. "Jane," Maura tried again as Jane found her jeans and bloody and torn shirt in the closet.

"Ah Ha!" She said in triumph before looking around worriedly as she remembered something very important. "Shit! My gun!" Jane blurted with growing panic, frantically sifting through the few articles of clothing that clearly did not contain her weapon. "Goddamnit, where the hell is my gun?" Jane anxiously looked at the Lieutenant.

"I've got it, Rizzoli. No shots fired. No shrinks or lost weapons reports needed," she said, lifting her hands in an appeasing manner. "You'll get it back when you are medically cleared - you might get that faster if you stayed overnight," she suggested, hoping her officer would stop being so stubborn, even if she understood why.

Jane's eyes immediately focused on the unexpected flicker of gold on her left hand. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she battled to reign in a dangerous mix of emotions that raged within her.

**R&I**

Korsak and Frost cringed, hearing them before they saw them.

"Where's my baby!" Mrs. Rizzoli called out in a panic, looking around and poking her head in patients' rooms.

"Angela, quiet," the Rizzoli patriarch hissed softly, glancing around with embarrassment, noting the curious looks from staff and patients. "We're in a hospital, not Fenway," he added.

"Exactly! We are in a hospital - where my baby is!" she said with exasperation at the obvious. "Jane? Janie?" she called out, looking into each room as she passed.

"MA!" Frankie blurted and grabbed her arm to pull her back from another room. "She's in room 304, Ma," he said, pointing down the hall. "And the Lieutenant said she had a concussion, loud sounds aren't good for that," Frankie offered, slowing her march down the hallway. Angela finally stopped and eyed her youngest.

"I need to see her, Frankie. You'd know that if you had children of your own," she said authoritatively with a meaningful glare, then continued her search.

Receiving Frankie's look of frustration, Frank Senior shrugged.

**R&I**

"Maura," Jane said softly, getting Maura's hopeful gaze. "Please leave."

"Jane?" Maura weakly said with surprise, hurt by the dismissal.

"I need to talk to the Lieutenant."

Maura blinked then looked at the Lieutenant, who shrugged and nodded slightly. Taking a frustrated breath, Maura left the room shaking her head.

**R&I**

"Detective Korsak!" Angela called out with relief as she turned the corner of the hallway. Seeing Jane's former partner, she marched directly at him with the male Rizzolis in tow.

"Oh boy," Frost whispered under his breath, bracing for the emotional onslaught.

"Dr. Isles!" Detective Korsak called out with great relief as she emerged from Jane's room. He quickly went to her side and shepherded her to Jane's mother.

"How's my baby?" Angela asked worriedly, looking between all of Jane's workmates.

Maura took a second to collect her thoughts. "Ah, she . . . suffered a concussion and a stab wound in her right side that required twenty three stitches," she said.

Angela gasped, covering her mouth. Frank Senior winced and put a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.

"She's up and arguing about going home," Maura said disapprovingly. "The doctor has recommended she stay the night for observation but she doesn't seem to appreciate the prudence in having trained medical personnel keep an eye on her," Maura said firmly, hoping to enlist an ally and have Angela talk some sense into her stubborn daughter. Instead, Angela smiled broadly and let out a laugh.

"She can't be that bad if she is complaining about the hospital and wanting to go home," she looked at Frank Senior, who smiled back warmly with a nod. "Let's go see our baby," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the hospital room door.

**R&I**

The first thing Angela noticed when she entered the room was the bed was empty. The momentary panic was replaced by a cringe when she heard someone retching.

"Ah man," Frankie mumbled with a frown. "I gotta . . . check something," he said to his father and bolted.

Frank Senior shook his head with a sigh, knowing his son didn't do well around people who were throwing up. As a plumber, he had seen his share of gross and disgusting things on the job and knew Frankie wasn't cut out for Rizzoli and Sons. But he always wondered how it was his son could manage to deal with blood and dead bodies but not a little pungent stomach content or clogged excrement?

"Jane?" Angela called out, hearing another bout of hurling.

"She's in here," the Lieutenant called out, emerging from the bathroom. She left a wide berth for the Rizzolis to go in to check on their daughter, who was on the floor huddled over the commode.

"Janie, honey? Do you need the doctor?" Angela said, pulling Jane's hair back and stroking the side of her face. Frank Senior remained silent, watching his daughter from the door.

"No!" Jane said, out of breath at the recent exertion.

"What happened to you?" Maura asked with alarm, noticing a trickle of blood from the Lieutenant's nose. Frank Senior glanced back and watched Maura raise the brunette's chin to inspect the injury.

"Oh, heh," the Lieutenant laughed awkwardly, backing away as she gingerly touched below her nose and found the blood. "Got in the way," she explained with a weak shrug, vaguely motioning to the bathroom where Angela hovered over her daughter before grabbing a tissue by the bed.

"Are you done? Do you want to get up now?" Angela asked her daughter, getting a nod. She promptly helped Jane stand.

Maura noticed Jane's uneasy glance at her boss, who quickly dabbed away the blood. She looked curiously between the two women, who both looked uncomfortable. Maura grew more concerned when she noticed Jane wouldn't meet her eyes.

"All that throwing up can't be good for your side," the Lieutenant said awkwardly, also unable to meet Maura's curious gaze. "I'll go get the doctor," the Lieutenant said and quickly left the room.

"I've got to get out of here," Jane said, looking at her mother pointedly. "Please, Ma."

Angela smiled like she was given a big gift. Maura frowned.

"Your father and I will take you home, Janie," she quickly said. "You can stay in your old room for a few days while you heal. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," Jane said without argument, shocking Maura, who would have thought Jane would vehemently argue that she didn't need anyone to look after her.

"You should wait for the Doctor first," Maura said firmly and left the room to help expedite finding one.

**R&I**

"Jane Rizzoli needs to see the doctor. Her stitches may be pulled and she is determined to leave this evening," the Lieutenant reported to the nurse at the nurses' station. She rolled her eyes, used to uncooperative and antsy patients. Typical police officers, she considered, certain none of them knew how to sit still and just heal.

"I think Dr. Burke just left. I'll send in a nurse to check in on her stitches while we hunt him down," the desk nurse said, picking up the phone.

"Thanks," she said and turned to find Maura right behind her.

"What happened in the room between you two?" Maura asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nothing to concern yourself with, Maura. And if you ask Jane, she'll say the same thing," she said plainly without further elaboration.

Maura looked at her incredulously. "Really? I find it unlikely your injury was a result of just happening to be "in the way" as she rushed to throw up. Did she hit you?"

"Now why would she do that, Maura?" the brunette asked pointedly, looking into Maura's eyes.

"I don't know!" she blurted in great frustration. This frustration was new to the medical examiner, who never had a best friend to worry about before. And from the increase in surprisingly trivial arguments and her distant behavior, which had resulted a reduction in their time spent together off-hours, she couldn't help but think Jane was slipping away from her. And that thought terrified her.

"If Jane is suspected of hitting her superior officer, even if she was not thinking right because of a head injury, there would be a lot of unwanted attention and potentially significant career ramifications…and at the very least an administrative mess to clean up. So you might want to think real hard about that before you go making accusations, Doctor."

Maura blinked, looking at the Lieutenant, realizing the severity of the suspected act. She was surprised by the Lieutenant's silence and lack of anger towards Jane, which implied that she was not actually blaming Jane for acting so rashly. That thought brought new concerns.

"Do you suspect her head injury is causing her to behave oddly?" Maura said with alarm.

The Lieutenant chuckled wearily, confusing Maura. "Jane's odd behavior started well before this evening, Maura." She looked at Maura with a slight smile and offered gently: "I think you know that."

Maura frowned, knowing what the Lieutenant was saying was right, but there were still several puzzle pieces swirling around her, which she could not seem to fit together for a clear picture on what was really going on. It was most annoying. As she took a breath to ask the Lieutenant, who seemed to have already pieced this puzzle together, to elaborate, a nurse came up to the two.

"So, we have a detective who tore up our fine stitch work?" the nurse said flatly, eyeing the two.

"Maybe. We would appreciate you checking," the Lieutenant said apologetically.

**R&I**

As Maura and the Lieutenant returned with the nurse, they saw the uneasy looks on Frost and Korsak. Maura quickly checked Jane's room and found it was empty. When she turned to the detectives for an explanation, their gazes dropped guiltily. The Lieutenant sighed, not that surprised.

The nurse shook her head. "And they say we are lousy patients," she blurted, eyeing the four representatives from the police department with disapproval, before returning to her better-behaved patients.

**R&I**

"There you go, Janie," Angela said, happily fluffing her daughter's pillow on her bed and pulling down the pink covers. Even though she thought the room looked much better with the old pink canopy bed, they had it removed when their recent police academy graduate Jane staunchly refused to ever return home, much less sleep in her old room, with a pink canopy bed still on the premises.

Angela knew her daughter often bore the brunt of stupid jokes and comments but chauvinist jerks were everywhere, not just the police department. And how were her co-workers ever going to know she still had her pink canopy bed at her parent's house? The things you do for your children, she considered wearily as she turned towards Jane, who smiled weakly, looking worse for the wear. Her top was ripped and bloody from her encounter with that mammoth of a man.

"Come on, let's get into your PJs, OK?" Angela said gently, taking charge like she had ever since Jane begged her to get her out of the hospital. Janie had always been so independent. Growing up she rarely asked her for anything. And as an adult, never, Angela considered unhappily. Not when her beautiful hands were horribly injured and scarred, or even when that serial killer was after her again! So she damn well wasn't going to let the opportunity pass her by when her daughter finally asked her for something she could actually give. So they whisked her away and took her right home, Angela thought proudly, not distracted by Korsak or Frost, who practically pleaded with them to wait for the Lieutenant and Maura to return.

After receiving a nod, she carefully helped her daughter put her pajamas on, mindful of her bandaged side. She tried not to wince too much at the scrapes and bruises marring her baby's body.

Finally clad in her PJs, Jane quietly sat on the edge of her bed, looking lost. A look Angela hadn't seen before, not even after a very young Jane had been devastated to find out their neighbors, the Foglios, had abruptly moved. Jane never had the chance to say goodbye to her best friend Annette or her brother Mikey. She didn't have the heart to tell her daughter that their father Tony, who everyone thought a really great guy, especially the kids, had one too many people enamored with him. His wife, Maria, caught him cheating with Teresa Maripola, from the deli, which prompted Maria to suddenly pack up and take off with her kids. Angela really couldn't blame the poor woman . . . even though the Foglios got a great discount on cold cuts. But it broke Jane's heart that her best friend suddenly disappeared.

She looked at her daughter, almost wishing Jane would argue with her about her mothering or . . . anything.

"Do you need any more aspirin?" she asked her daughter, who shook her head as tears filled her eyes. "Are you sure, Janie? You don't look so good," Angela said worriedly, caressing her child's face. Jane laughed weakly and wiped her eyes.

"Sorry, Ma. I'm just . . . a mess," Jane said wearily with a forced laugh, knowing calling herself a mess was an understatement. She had been too distracted about Maura's goddamn perfume, giving her boss no confidence that she actually could do her damn job. Then she let a behemoth doorman run her over, leaving her with a little gift of twenty-three stitches and very compelling evidence that she was indeed incapable of doing her job. And then, after one final glorious act, she left no doubt that she was a total fuck-up and had probably lost her job.

"Well it's no wonder," Angela said sympathetically. "You were run over by a big jerk with a knife! But Detective Korsak said they got him, and the rest of that bad bunch you were after," she said with encouragement, hoping to bring her daughter some good news.

"You're not going to tell me how much of a fuck-up I am because I keep getting hurt?" Jane readily offered, taunting her mother with the familiar argument.

"Jane, language!" Angela scolded.

"Come on, Ma. You're always telling me I shouldn't be a cop. Maybe you're right. Maybe I have finally proven to my boss what you knew all along," Jane weakly said, staring blankly at the carpet.

Angela blinked at her daughter, startled by the comment and defeated tone. After a few sputtering, false starts to respond, she slowly took one of her daughter's scarred hands with a wince. Jane's head dropped lower, making Angela bite her lip.

"You know, all I've ever wanted . . . was for you to be happy," Angela said cautiously, squeezing her hand. Jane nodded weakly.

"And I was happy being a cop, Ma," Jane said softly. "I never wanted to be anything else," she said with a forced smile and took an uneasy breath.

"I know," she said with a long sigh. "But I'm your mother, and I don't like you being hurt, so sue me," Angela said unapologetically.

"There's a thought. Maybe I should become a lawyer," Jane joked with a hollow laugh. "After tonight, I think I'm going to have to reconsider my career choices."

"What? Just because you got injured again?" Angela said, prompting only a dejected sigh from her daughter. "I'm serious, Jane. Why would they want to get rid of you? You're their best homicide detective!" Angela said, offended by the idea.

"You're my mom, you have to say that," Jane said flatly.

"You don't get the best solve rate in the department for being an idiot, do you?" Angela countered.

"You know my solve rate?" Jane said with great surprise.

"What kind of nosey mother would I be if I didn't know that?" Angela said indignantly.

Jane smiled crookedly, amazed by how much her mother's surprising, albeit odd, support of her meant. One small, nagging weight on her heart lifted, releasing a few more fresh tears. Jane growled in frustration, once again wiping away annoying tears.

"You need to get some sleep, young lady," Angela announced, standing up and placing a lingering kiss on her daughter's crown, as she had done so many times when she was a child. "We all do," she added with a small smile and headed to the door.

"Yeah," Jane said tiredly, carefully getting under her covers. "Ma?"

Angela looked at her curiously.

"Thanks," Jane said sincerely, making her mother smile.

"You and your brothers are the best gifts Frank and I ever got," Angela said earnestly, then frowned slightly. "I just wish you guys would work harder on getting some gifts of your own for me to dote on," she said, shaking her head as she left.

Jane blinked, staring at the now empty doorframe, before softly chuckling and gingerly laying back. Her smile faded knowing her mother was going to be disappointed that the life she had all mapped out for her wasn't going to happen.

She shut her eyes and tried to sleep, but thoughts of the evening's epic failures kept repeating in her head in agonizing detail…well, except for the period she lost consciousness. Some loss of consciousness now would be nice, she considered with a frown.

The only thing that she could take any consolation in was, oddly, when her boss yelled at her.

"_For God's Sake, Rizzoli! She knows I'm married. And I take my goddamn vows seriously, you idiot!" _

**R&I**

Maura finished her wine and stared at her cell phone on the kitchen counter, debating whether to call Jane. She wanted to hear Jane's voice. She really wanted to check on Jane's stitches. And she really, really wanted to just hug her ever since she had heard Jane had been hurt.

But Jane had made it clear she didn't want her help.

With a troubled sigh, she went to the sink and cleaned her empty glass. Task complete, she headed towards her bedroom with every expectation sleep would be elusive. Had she done something to make Jane more distant?

She frowned, reluctantly acknowledging she had been a little short with Jane on several occasions as of late, usually resulting from a poorly worded comment and her own insecurities, but Jane never mentioned it. And Jane wasn't one to hold back her opinions, or complaints, about other people's behavior.

She began to unbutton her dress as she walked into her large closet. Slipping off her shoes, she carefully placed them in their assigned place on the shoe rack, ordered by color and heel size, among, what Jane would probably declare to be an obscene number of shoes. Slipping out of her dress, she meticulously hung it, ensuring no unseemly wrinkles would result, even though she would be taking it to the cleaners along with the collection of other outfits she hung in that section of the closet. Next came her bra, which she took off and placed in the hamper next to her closet dresser. She pulled open the top drawer and smiled, seeing her favorite sleepwear crisply folded on top of her silk pajamas.

Pulling it up by the shoulders, the crisply laundered Patriots jersey unfolded, showing the number twelve. The quarterback Tom Brady's number, Maura had learned. But she believed the position of "safety" would be more metaphorically appropriate for Jane, considering her job. Though, if one were to choose a Jersey symbolic of Jane's physique, Maura would have to choose a number like eighty-eight, for the "tight end" position.

While clearly several sizes too large and made from a polyester blend, the Jersey was surprisingly comfortable. She absently caressed the material, recalling the first time she wore it. She had mentioned her surprise at the amazing number of wrinkles it had for being freshly laundered. Jane had jokingly asked her if she had never forgotten to take her clothes out of the dryer and always had wrinkle-free sleepwear. When she seriously answered "no and, until now, yes," Jane stared at her a moment, then frowned, apologizing she didn't have anything better. Jane even went so far as to tell her that she understood if she wanted to go home to get her stuff.

Jane had respected what was important to her, however silly it may have seemed to anyone else. Maura was deeply touched that Jane was willing to fight her genuine fear that night, rather than ask her to go against her fastidious nature. There was no way she would have left Jane because of wrinkled clothing. When Jane had asked her to stay, she felt happy, so happy that she could fulfill Jane's need for companionship. No one had ever needed her like that before. Maura was well aware that Jane, the accomplished, beautiful woman, could have had any companion she wanted. Yet for those few nights, Jane chose the socially awkward Dr. Maura Isles. It felt…amazing.

Even with wrinkled sleepwear.

Now, it seemed that Jane no longer wanted her help. Tears welled up as Maura struggled to understand what had changed and why. She glanced to the clock on the nightstand and sighed, wiping her tears, knowing she had to at least try and get some sleep. After mechanically climbing into bed, she fidgeted a moment as she settled in to become more comfortable. After a few seconds, she finally gave up, knowing she wasn't going to be completely comfortable.

She sighed heavily and stared at her ceiling.

**R&I**

At lunch, Korsak returned to his desk with a large coffee and chocolate-chip muffin as Maura came into the bullpen. He noticed her glance linger at Jane's empty desk before she looked between the two men.

"Have you heard how Jane's doing today?" Maura asked them with a forced smile.

"She hasn't called you?" Korsak asked with surprise. Maura looked at him uneasily, shaking her head no with a polite smile before her eyes dropped, then focused on Barry. Korsak frowned, seeing the brief flash of hurt she was unable to hide.

"She texted me that she had a brunch of blueberry pancakes with butter and maple syrup, fresh sausage links from the butcher, orange juice, and fresh brewed Starbuck's house blend," Frost said with a smirk.

Korsak chuckled. "Ten bucks says we see her back at work tomorrow."

"Having proper rest is important for the body to heal itself," Maura noted with disapproval, hoping Jane would not cut short her sick leave.

Frost eyed Korsak and sat back in his chair, holding his hands out. "Home cooking, hovering. Home cooking, hovering," Frost repeated, moving his hands as if weighing the options. "No deal. She also mentioned her mother talking about the all the eligible young men she should be dating."

That certainly was not conducive to rest, Maura considered with a frown, knowing how annoyed Jane got when her mother nagged her about dating and marriage. She honestly didn't know why her mother was so worried. Jane was an exceptionally beautiful woman, who had a keen mind that made her even more desirable.

"Cheater," Korsak blurted with a frown, getting Barry to smile broadly.

"Barry? You'll keep me informed if you hear anything more?" Maura asked uncomfortably.

"Sure thing, Doc. You'll be one of the first to know if I get a text on her dinner menu," he said dryly.

"Thank you. Nutrition is also important in the healing process," she said sincerely with another polite smile before leaving.

Frost silently looked at Korsak, who just sighed and shook his head. With a surprising bleep from his computer, Frost curiously tapped his keyboard to call up the source. "Oh…," Frost slowly exhaled with alarm. "…shit."

Korsak looked at him curiously. "Now you look like you need a sick day. What's going on?"

Barry looked at Vince, then back at his screen. "Oh . . . shit."

"For God's sake, either spit it out or keep quiet," Vince said impatiently at Frost's annoying agitation.

"I uh, just got the results back on my database search."

"Congratulations," Korsak said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"No . . . you don't understand. It was for Marie Largo," Frost said whispering the name with emphasis, then returned his worried gaze to the screen.

"The Lieutenant's undercover name?" Vince asked. "She's going to be pissed if she knows you've been investigating her."

"Shhh!" Frost said nervously, looking around the bullpen to make sure no one was listening. "I didn't know that was who Jane had me investigating! Not until the stakeout at the fight club," he hissed defensively.

"So delete the damn file. None the wiser," Korsak said in a hushed, terse tone, noting Frost cringe with worry. "What's the big deal?" he said with irritation.

Frost rubbed his face and moaned "I cracked into the FBI's files to get the info."

"Jesus, Frost. Why would you do that?!"

"I found the references to Marie Largo were all inaccessible. I made an algorithm to work in the background to get in. When I found out on the stakeout that was the Lieutenant's alias, I was going to cancel it but forgot . . . with everything," he said vaguely with a wince, clearly recalling Jane getting run over by the human Mack truck. "And I got a hit."

Korsak sighed with irritation. "It's not that unusual a name. Why can't you still just delete it?" Korsak said, looking at him pointedly.

Frost looked alarmed and shook his head. "No…."

"Wh…Oh Christ! The FBI knows you got in?" Korsak blurted, looking around the bullpen nervously as if the feds might be closing in on them now.

"I . . . think I cleaned up my tracks," Frost said, looking at his screen thoughtfully.

"Then just delete the damn file!" Korsak hissed at the dense young detective.

"I can't. Look at what I found," he said anxiously, motioning to his screen.

Korsak sighed and got up from his desk. He glanced around before looking at the younger detective's screen closely. Seeing the picture of their new lieutenant next to the name Marie Largo and a long list of crimes he hissed "Oh . . . shit."

"Arms dealing, murder, drugs" Frost quietly rattled off, rubbing his temples. "They have listed her as deceased," Frost said gravely, glancing up at Korsak.

"This . . . doesn't make sense. She must have been working with the FBI . . . on something."

"But what if she wasn't, and they now think she's deceased? They're not going to be wasting any time looking for a dead woman," he said with concern.

"Frost! Why the hell would she want to be surrounded by cops…hell, why would she want to be one?" Korsak said, glancing towards the Lieutenant's office.

"Hidden in plain view? Able to stay a few steps ahead of the law with unquestioned access to their information?" Frost offered, eyeing Korsak, who was digesting the troubling information. "Jane did have a gut feeling that something was off about her," Barry added, glancing towards the Lieutenant's office.

"And Rizzoli likes to run just after eating, too," Korsak replied dismissively. "It still doesn't make any sense."

"Ok, but what are we going to do now?"

"Absolutely nothing," Korsak said firmly.

"What?!"

"What did you have in mind, rushing in and arresting her?"

Frost frowned. "What if this is legitimate?"

"What if it's not? The Lieutenant doesn't need that rap sheet to make me worry about what she'll do to us if she finds out her detectives have been accessing restricted documents to poke around in her business!" he hissed, making Frost wince, both recalling the sound over the coms when the Lieutenant broke that guy's hand. "And you hacked into the FBI's data. That's not exactly something the feds appreciate either!"

Knowing he was in hot water if he was wrong, Frost glanced at the disturbing data on his screen again, unable to let it go. "You can't be suggesting we ignore this."

"I never said that."

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7 Promising Leads

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 7)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Promising Leads**

That night, after a day of rest and doting by her mother, Jane found she couldn't sleep any better than her first night at her parents' home. Tying the sash of her robe carefully around her, she made her way to the kitchen, which was curiously already dimly lit by a small lamp.

"Pop?" she said in surprise, spotting her father sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of warm milk. "What are you doing up?" she asked softly.

He pointed to the glass and shrugged. "You want some?"

"Yeah. I think I would," Jane said with a small smile, prompting her father to get up. "No, I'll get it," she quickly said, not wanting to impose.

"Sit. You're walking wounded," he said firmly, getting her to frown and reluctantly sit as he turned on the burner and got fresh milk from the refrigerator. "Won't be long," he said with a soft smile.

After the milk was ready, her father fixed her a glass and himself another. He sat next to her and they sipped their milk in companionable silence.

After a few moments, Jane cringed sympathetically and asked: "Do you often have trouble sleeping?"

"Not that often. Only when worried about the family," Frank said gently, looking at her.

"I'm sorry, Pop," Jane said guiltily, looking down at her mug.

"Comes with the territory," he said, not really making his daughter any happier. "It's good territory, Jane," he said firmly. "The best," he amended, taking her hand and squeezing. "I'm proud of you. You know that, right?"

Tears filled her eyes, which was incredibly annoying. He pulled her into a one-armed hug and kissed her temple.

She nodded and whispered: "I love you, Pop."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

"I need . . . to get back to work tomorrow," she said hesitantly, pulling back and looking at him with a wince.

"Oooh boy," Frank groaned, knowing the commotion that would result with Angela, who was expecting a week of Jane.

"Yeah," Jane exhaled with a weary chuckle.

"Well, at least you gave her a day of mothering. She'll cherish it for a long time."

Jane looked at him uneasily.

"When someone loves you, they want to help. And when you love someone, you let them," he said with a warm smile. "You gave her a gift, honey."

Jane nodded hesitantly, then chuckled. "She said her children were gifts but she wished we'd work harder getting our own gifts for her to dote on," she noted with a smirk. "She spent most of today reminding me of how I wasn't getting any younger."

Frank sighed. "Nagging won't make them pop out any faster."

"No, it won't," Jane agreed, looking at her father with amusement.

He nodded and sipped his milk.

She looked down at her milk and exhaled. "Marriage and kids . . . might not happen at all, Pop," she said hesitantly, looking at him closely.

"That's what I thought, Jane," he said with a nod, getting a startled look. "Look what happened to me," Frank groused.

"Hey! I thought it was good territory, the best even," she said with amusement, unable not to tease.

Frank chuckled. "Yeah."

"So . . . what happened? What made you change your mind?"

"You mean, besides the shotgun Angela's father threatened me with?"

"Yeah, besides that," Jane said with a chuckle, resting her elbow on the table and chin in her palm.

Frank sighed, rubbing his face a thoughtful moment. "I guess . . . when I went fishing, or to dinner, or just watched the game on the tube, I realized it was better with Angela than without her," he said with a shrug.

"So it wasn't all rocket's red flare . . . bombs bursting in air?" Jane said with an amused smirk that quickly faded from the unamused look from her father. "Uh…forget I said anything," Jane said uncomfortably, scratching the back of her neck.

"There is some of that, Jane. And not just when we argue," he said with a thin smile, making Jane wince, really sorry she mentioned it. "But that's not what it's all about for me. It's about the small moments, Jane," he said sagely. "Wanting to spend them with that one person that makes those moments better, just by being there. And wanting to make the most of those moments for them too."

Jane smiled at her father, who she always knew was a big-ole softie. She sipped her milk.

"And I have to admit, the shotgun helped encourage me to get my head out of my ass," he joked with a chuckle.

Jane coughed and blinked rapidly, reminded why inhaling milk was bad idea.

"You ok, honey?"

"Fi . . . ine," Jane coughed, waving her hand dismissively. "Went down…wrong," she said with a pained smile. "Uh . . . I think I should head in," she said, clearing her throat. "I've got to get up early," she offered, placing her hand on his and squeezing. He nodded with a warm smile.

She kissed him on the cheek and left the kitchen. His gaze followed her, then dropped to the table where her empty glass remained. He frowned as he got up to do his least favorite chore - washing dishes. "Gifts, my ass," he groused.

As he retired to his bedroom, Angela shifted in bed to squint at him in the dark. "Frank? Everything all right?" she asked groggily as he slipped under the covers.

"Everything is fine," he said, kissed her on the lips, and settled under the covers.

"Love you, sweetie," she said with a contented smile.

"Love you too, Angela."

"What do you think Janie wants for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Uh . . . why don't we worry about that tomorrow?" he offered reasonably.

"Ok, Frank. Goodnight," she said with a sleepy sigh.

"Goodnight, Angela."

**R&I**

Jane walked into work with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Whoa, Rizzoli! What are you doing here?" Frost said as his partner tossed her jacket over the back of her desk chair.

She knew she was going to get grief for returning to work so soon, anticipating her mother being the most vocal. But she had things to do, crimes to solve, people to apologize to….

"I work here, unless something's changed that I don't know about," she said, glancing towards the Lieutenant's office uneasily.

"You look like shit, Rizzoli," Detective Crowe offered in passing, shrugging innocently at her scowl.

"Fuck off, Crowe," Jane said flatly, knowing she couldn't argue. "So, how did the interviews with the martial arts mavens go?" Jane asked, gingerly sitting down.

"Well, Vice is happy about us helping them stop that illegal fight ring. Unfortunately, our leading suspects insist on their innocence in the murder of Greg Johnston," he said with a frown.

"Really?" Jane said noncommittally.

"Rizzoli! Get your ass in my office NOW!" The Lieutenant bellowed from her door, having noticed the expected empty chair was not empty.

"I guess it's too late to go home," Frost said with an uneasy cringe as Jane stood with a heavy sigh.

"Tempting, but I don't want to add disobeying a direct order to her list," Jane responded, ready to face what she feared coming.

"List? She has a list?" Frost asked nervously, recalling the Lieutenant's hard glare after Jane gave him the cold coffee. He wondered if she was stilled annoyed with him. Biting his lip, he wondered about the long list of people who had annoyed Marie Largo. "Am I on it? You'd tell me, right?"

Jane shook her head as she walked towards the office.

Standing at the door, she was struck by how much paper was still on the Lieutenant's desk, on the small sofa and chairs, and in boxes about the room. Why would anyone in her right mind really wanted to be a Lieutenant, she wondered.

"Stop hovering and get your ass inside. And shut the door behind you," she said briskly, folding the file she had been studying. She took off her reading glasses and sat back in her chair.

Jane was surprised by the glasses, but suspected the Lieutenant didn't order her here to comment on her eyewear. She shut the door, moved a file box off a seat, and sat.

The Lieutenant stared at her for several silent moments, making her uncomfortable, which Jane supposed was the point. She braced herself for a lecture on how stupid she was to be at work . . . or perhaps, just how stupid she was in general.

Her boss took a deep breath and shook her head with disapproval. "If you had played your cards right, you would have had Maura taking care of you and you would be recovering more quickly," she said matter-of-factly.

Jane blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I could order you to go home."

"You could," Jane allowed slowly. "You could also bring me up on charges," she added bluntly, needing closure for her stupid actions, regardless of how painful it would be.

The Lieutenant grinned with genuine amusement. "If I had to arrest everyone who ever acted like an idiot while trying to defend a woman's honor, I'd have to arrest half the officers out there," she said, glancing towards the bullpen. "And then turn myself in," she added wryly.

"Huh?"

"Jeeze, Rizzoli. You still have your head up your ass," she said, shaking her head in disappointment.

Jane frowned with irritation. "I think . . . I'm beginning to understand," she admitted, then grew uncomfortable, wondering if her boss meant what she thought she meant.

The Lieutenant looked at her with surprise then skepticism, not quite convinced. "Here, make yourself useful," she said, sliding a stack of files towards her. "They admit to the fight club, which is no big surprise, but they claim innocence to the murder."

Jane took the stack, muttering "not that we haven't heard that before," as she curiously flipped through the top folder and found the transcripts of the interviews with the Gwyneth Johnston and her lover, Julia Fontaine.

"You'll be riding a desk for a while, at least until you don't look like the walking dead," the Lieutenant said, then snorted with amusement, which faded when she eyed a pile of folders on her desk. She grabbed one folder with a heavy sigh, opened it up, and squinted at it a moment. With another heavy sigh, bordering on a growl, she glanced around her desk and picked up her reading glasses, glaring unhappily at them before putting them back on.

Realizing she had been dismissed, Jane stood with her armful of files and went to the door. When she reached for the handle, the Lieutenant called to her.

"Rizzoli."

Jane turned curiously and watched the Lieutenant pull out her sidearm from her desk drawer and place it on the desktop with a thunk.

"I believe this is yours," she said, still not looking at her and turning a page over.

Relief washed over Jane as she quickly went to the desk and reached for her gun. The Lieutenant's surprisingly swift hand stopped her from picking it up, startling her. She found herself looking into intense eyes, glaring up at her over glasses.

"Next time, I hit back," she said crisply, leaving no question in Jane's mind that she would.

A smile slowly emerged as Jane realized the intimidating woman had succinctly told her that the slate was clean between them.

"Now get out of here," she groused, releasing Rizzoli's hand. "Or I'll make you my administrative assistant," she threatened, vaguely waving towards the plentiful boxes about her office.

Jane's eyes widened before she quickly left, with her files and her sidearm.

Jane nervously stood at the medical examiner's office door. "Uh, Maura?"

Maura looked up from her computer screen with surprise, then alarm. "Jane! You look awful," she said with concern.

"Gee, you sure do know how to sweet-talk a girl," Jane countered with a smirk, then frowned noticing the bags under Maura's eyes. "You're looking a little worse for the wear too," she added with concern.

"I had trouble sleeping since your injury and swift departure from the hospital," Maura said with blunt honesty.

Jane cringed guiltily, her gaze dropping to the floor as she softly responded: "I had to get out of there." She did not want to admit that mortifying embarrassment was one of the main reasons for her need to escape.

"I wish you would have let the doctor check your stitches first. I was worried you might have torn them. You could have also risked infection, Jane."

"I'm fine," Jane countered easily with a smile.

Maura sighed with disappointment, having heard that stock answer before.

"I am," Jane protested. "You can check them for yourself, if you really have to," Jane blurted in frustration.

"All right. Sit up there," she immediately responded, motioning to the exam table before grabbing a pair of gloves.

"Really, Maura?" she asked incredulously, looking around the lab, not expecting Maura to actually want to check here.

"I am accepting your offer, unless you didn't mean it," Maura said, eyeing her in challenge.

Jane sighed. "Fine! Suit yourself," she growled and sat on the table, pulling her shirt up from her jeans to expose her bandaged side as Maura donned the gloves with a small, pleased smile.

Jane sighed heavily. She jerked away slightly as Maura gently pealed away the bandage from her body. "Sorry. It is fortunate you are not suffering from hirsutism," Maura said conversationally, getting Jane to look at her and blink.

"I've . . . always thought so," Jane hesitantly agreed with an uncomprehending cringe, getting Maura to look up and smile.

"Hirsutism is a condition of excessive hair growth. The adhesive on the tape tends to stick to hair, which can be painful during bandage removal," she explained as Jane nodded slowly. "Studies have linked hirsutism to high levels of circulating insulin, commonly found in the obese. Other symptoms include coarse, pigmented body hair on the face, chest, and back, acne, and a deepening voice."

"Then I am really happy I'm not suffering from hair-suit tism," Jane interjected dryly, rubbing her hair-free chin.

"Me too," Maura said with a small smile, briefly glancing over her, causing Jane to blink. Did Maura just check her out?

"The stitches are intact but the surrounding skin is a bit redder than I would like to see," she said, refocusing on her task at hand. She carefully probed the area, causing Jane to jump a little. "Sorry," Maura said with a sympathetic wince, then added with a twinkle in her eye "my patients aren't normally ticklish."

"Funny," Jane said with a small smirk, enjoying Maura's feisty side.

"What antibiotic ointment have you been using?"

"Ointment?"

"To treat your…," Maura started to explain then frowned deeply, seeing the uncomprehending look on Jane's face. "Jane! You left the hospital without getting any wound care instructions?"

"Uh…."

"I should have realized that you had left too quickly," Maura said with concern. "I should have made sure . . . ," she said self-consciously, clearly irritated.

"Whoa, Maura," Jane interjected. "It's not your fault I didn't get the ointment," she added, grabbing Maura's hand and looking at her upset friend.

"But . . . ," Maura argued, shaking her head.

"Not. Your. Fault. Repeat after me. Not. Your. Fault," Jane said with a small smile, looking into her eyes.

"Jane, I'm not a very good friend if I . . . ," Maura persisted, withdrawing her hand with her frown still in place.

"God, Maura!" Jane interrupted with frustration, quickly regretting her outburst when she saw the hurt look. "You'd have to be omniscient to save me from myself, you know," she tried with a lop-sided grin and a brief caress of her arm.

"It would help to know you were about to do something dangerous," Maura noted thoughtfully. "But to actually protect you, I would need to be omnipotent too," she added.

Jane smiled at the impeccably logical woman.

"Sometimes I wish I were," Maura admitted softly, looking into Jane's brown eyes with an uneasy breath before refocusing on replacing the bandage.

"Then you'd be really scary," Jane joked, causing Maura to look up uncertainly.

"You think . . . I'm scary?"

"Scary smart, sometimes," Jane offered readily. As Maura was deciding how she felt about that remark, Jane smiled warmly and gently brushed away a strand of hair from Maura's brow.

The gesture eased Maura's concern. Jane's touch had that effect, Maura noted.

"Why don't we go grab a long lunch? We can stop by the pharmacy and you can help point out what I need for proper wound care. Sound good?" Jane suggested, feeling very pleased when a big smile bloomed on Maura's face.

"It's a date!" she blurted happily and finished up with the bandage.

"O . . . kay," Jane acknowledged softly, intently watching Maura and her hands, wondering how they would feel without those gloves.

"There, you should be good for the immediate future," Maura said, carefully tracing her fingers over the edge of the bandage to ensure it stuck properly. Jane jumped. "Are you really that ticklish, Jane?"

"I am going to plea the fifth," Jane muttered, quickly climbing off the table.

"Hmmm," Maura responded, her interest piqued. "I think that warrants further investigation," she said with a grin, stepping closer to Jane with her hand out to obtain more empirical data.

"My stitches! You don't want to do anything to damage them, right?" Jane blurted uneasily, quickly stepping back.

"Very well. You get a reprieve for now, Detective," Maura said, feeling a bit embarrassed for teasing her; Jane had a valid point.

Jane looked at Maura with a wince. "I ah . . . I'm really sorry for being such a jerk in the hospital," she said sincerely.

Maura looked at her and Jane could see the hurt in her eyes. "You acted like we weren't friends anymore," she offered.

Jane cringed guiltily. "I'm so sorry, Maura. You're the best friend I've ever had. But after every time I end up hurting you, I have to wonder why you'd still want to be my friend," she offered apologetically, searching Maura's eyes.

Unsure of the best response, Maura chose the shortest. "I enjoy complicated puzzles."

Jane chuckled softly. "I'm not complicated, Maura."

"Oh I beg to differ," she responded with a slight smile.

Jane briefly looked at her curiously, then just smiled and shook her head. "I'll see you in" she said, checking her watch, "about two hours?"

"I'll be waiting," Maura said warmly and watched Jane leave.

**R&I**

"Jane, remember the question you had about insurance payouts on the Johnston parents?" Frost looked up from his computer terminal with a grin.

Jane looked up from her desk curiously, tucking a long stray hair behind her ear.

"There was a life insurance policy that was split among the children," he said.

"How much?" she asked with great interest.

"Three million."

Jane whistled.

"Each," Frost added with satisfaction, noting her surprised expression. "Sounds motive-worthy, doesn't it?" he said, enjoying seeing her respond to the new facts as she digested them and ordered them into something no one else could usually see. Though he had not been a detective that long, he would bet good money that Jane Rizzoli was the best he would ever work with.

"Dig up anything new on the parents' accident?"

"Nothing concrete yet," Frost said, clearly not done. "But I did find out that the parents were philanthropists. Most of the Johnston fortune was given to charity upon their deaths. Which I'm sure the children were not too pleased with."

"Hmm. Does sound like motive," Jane said absently as she glanced down to one of the files the Lieutenant had given her, wondering why she needed to see the medical report again. Reading over several new additions to the file, she became irritated.

"Why didn't I know about this?!" she said tersely, glaring at Frost.

"Know what?"

"That Greg Johnston had pancreatic cancer in an advanced stage?" she said, holding up the addenda to the medical file.

"Uh . . . you were indisposed?" Frost said with a cringe. She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "It's kind of moot, isn't it? The guy died before his illness could take him," he said.

Jane frowned, not convinced anything was moot at this point. She automatically picked up the phone and dialed a memorized number.

"Isles."

"Maura? What are the chances of mortality with the cancer Greg Johnston had?" Jane asked, forgoing pleasantries, knowing Maura didn't mind.

"Based on his physician's prognosis, in the eighty-five percentile, even with his treatments."

"Hmm," she responded, looking through the file. "And how long might this individual be expected to live?"

"The prognosis is on page 23 of his medical record. His physician stated less than a year," Maura said, causing Jane to quickly flip to that page.

"Less . . . than a year," Jane repeated slowly with a smile.

"Is that important to the case?" Maura asked with interest, always intrigued by Jane's perspective and insight.

"It just might be, Maura. Not sure yet. Bye!" Jane blurted happily, hanging up.

Maura stared at her phone a moment as a pleased smile filled her face. She had not heard such enthusiasm in Jane's voice in a long time.

Hours flew by as Jane and Frost poured through the details in the police and newspaper reports on the accident and the various business and social newspaper articles about the family and their business dealings. Jane stared at the mosaic of information on the several large computer displays hanging on the wall. A wisp of a theory teased at her, swirling around in her head, just out of reach.

She knew it was there; she just had to recognize it.

Frost glanced at her, noting she looked like she was in a museum staring at a work of art; her head shifted from one side to the other as if that might help her to see better. He winced with embarrassment when his stomach growled loudly.

"Fuck!" Jane suddenly blurted, glancing at her watch in horror. It was three thirty!

"Figure something out?" Frost asked hesitantly as Jane glared at the floor.

"Apparently NOT! I . . . I missed lunch!" she hissed in self-loathing. She couldn't even keep a lunch date with Maura, she considered and glanced over to her desk with a wince, where several bags now sat.

Frost didn't understand her agitation; it wasn't the first time they worked through lunch. Glancing at the deli bags, he smiled broadly and made a beeline for them. "We have lunch right here," he said and read the note he pulled off the bag "Courtesy of Dr. Isles!" he added happily, handing over the note to Jane.

_I didn't want to interrupt. Happy hunting. - Maura_

"Oooh my favorite, a turkey club!" he said, noting "TC" on one of the bags and peeking inside with a smile. "And this must be yours, pastrami on rye with dill pickles on the side," he announced, reading the shorthand on the bag and helpfully placing it in front of her. "This is awesome. I'm starving," he said, pulling his sandwich out and eagerly taking a bite.

She nodded absently and picked up the smallest bag with a cringe. Opening it, she found a tube of antibiotic cream, bandages, and medical tape for her stitches. She frowned, wondering how Maura could have come and gone without her knowing. She really hoped Maura had not actually tried to get her attention and got blown off.

It's the small moments, she considered worriedly. And she couldn't even get them right, she considered as depression settled over her.

"Barry?" she said weakly as he took a big bite out of his sandwich. "I'm kind of fading here, I'm going to call it a day."

"Hmm?" he said and swallowed, not sure he heard right. Jane never admitted she was anything less than 100%.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said, putting on her coat.

"Sure. I'll uh . . . keep after the insurance leads?"

"Yeah. See if you can set up a meeting with the lead detective on the parents' case. And . . . I wouldn't be surprised if you find the siblings have policies on each other," she said tiredly and grabbed her sandwich and ointment.

"The innate evilness of people theory?" Barry said with interest.

"Something like that."

* * *

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8 The Small Things

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 8)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 8 – The Small Things**

Jane opened up her front door to the sound of happy barking from Jo Friday. "Hey girl," she said tiredly, crouching down with a slight wince from the tug at her sore side. Jane scratched the dog's head, prompting even more tail wagging. "At least I know how to please you, huh, girl?"

She shuffled to the kitchen and put the sandwich in the fridge, her appetite non-existent. Shutting the door, she rested her head against the refrigerator as whatever energy she had left drained from her. She felt horrible and wondered if she would ever get it right. Just when she thought she could get past her unforgivable behavior in the hospital, she blows off Maura and their lunch.

Jo Friday was at her feet and looked up curiously.

Jane smiled sadly and picked up her dog.

"Do you think I could be suffering from Alzheimer's?" she asked, scratching Jo's head as she walked over to the sofa. "What about Dementia?" she asked tiredly, sitting.

Receiving no comment from her dog, who just stared at her, Jane sighed and curled up on the sofa. She tucked Jo against her chest and let her exhaustion overtake her.

**R&I**

A knocking on the door roused Jane, who blinked and slowly gained her bearings. Jo barked and jumped off the couch, trotting to the door with a wagging tail. The knocking and Jo's happy barking persisted as she rubbed her blood-shot eyes and headed to the door.

Automatically glancing through the peephole, her stomach clenched. She paused an uneasy moment then fumbled, with the coordination of a drunk she thought derisively, as she unlatched the chain and nervously opened up the door.

After a few uncomfortably silent seconds, Jane softly said "Hi."

Not knowing whether her presence was welcome or not, Maura asked uneasily: "May I come in?"

Jane nodded awkwardly and stepped back, watching the relieved medical examiner enter her home. Maura quietly placed a rather large designer bag on the couch and turned towards Jane. She looked at the disheveled detective without censure, just genuine concern.

After everything, Maura still really cared, Jane considered as tears welled up. "Gah!" Jane growled in self-disgust, angrily wiping the tears away.

"Are you in pain?" Maura blurted, alarmed by the surprising reaction.

Jane shut her eyes and shook her head no, battling her feelings of embarrassment and inadequacy. Maura cringed, wishing she were better at dealing with emotions.

"Have you eaten dinner?" Maura asked suddenly, prompting Jane to look at her as if she spoke a different language. "Of course you haven't," she said, interpreting the uneasy look and sighed. "I'll make us something light, all right?" Maura said and went to the kitchen with purpose. She was much better with clear tasks than emotions anyway, she considered uneasily. In addition to ensuring proper nutrition, she could also provide some measure of comfort through food as several studies….

"M…Maura," Jane barked out in a hoarse voice.

Maura stopped in her tracks and briefly shut her eyes, hoping Jane didn't try to send her home. Taking a fortifying breath, she turned hesitantly, looking at Jane.

Jane took a breath to say something but saw the uncertainty in Maura's eyes and nervousness in her demeanor. With three sudden and large steps, she pulled Maura into a firm embrace.

After a stunned moment, Maura eagerly returned the hug. While she had read several detailed studies on the medical benefits of hugging, both physical and mental, Maura found herself too immersed in the actual, wonderful sensation to remember any of those details . . . or really care.

"I'm sorry," Jane husked, her face buried into golden hair. Grateful Maura was not pulling away, she made no effort to let go.

Maura frowned. "Didn't you get my note? I knew you were too busy for lunch," she said softly, feeling Jane nod.

"I'm still sorry," Jane mumbled, taking in the subtle, floral scent of her shampoo.

"Oh Jane, we're going to miss lunches and have our plans disrupted," she said softly. Her hand had absently migrated to the back of Jane's neck, which she gently caressed, noting how soft her skin was. "We already have, several times."

"You deserve better," Jane said softly, enjoying Maura's touch. Her own hand started to gently trace over Maura's back.

"Deserve . . . better?" Maura asked curiously. "We have demanding jobs, Jane; jobs which are not predictable. But I don't think either of us is inclined to abandon them, just to secure a predictable work schedule. I'd rather miss a few lunches with you and know you are doing what you love, than see you all the time and know you're miserable," Maura said with conviction.

Jane pulled back slowly, but kept within the warm circle of Maura's arms; her embrace was a safe harbor Jane had never expected to find and was reluctant to leave.

Maura winced, not sure that came out very well. "Not that I think it is an either or proposition. I would prefer to spend more time with you and know you are doing what you love . . . professionally," she added, just to be clear.

"I don't mean to hurt you, Maura. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do," Jane whispered earnestly.

Maura realized their discussion had shifted beyond missed lunches and job distractions.

"I know, Jane," she whispered back, and she did. Jane never meant to hurt her. But she had learned that Jane had that ability, above all others; the most recent example was in the hospital. And that frightened her, because with Jane, she couldn't bring herself to avoid the hurt like she had in the past. She couldn't just walk away.

"I never felt like this before, Maura," Jane said honestly, gathering courage as she looked into Maura's questioning eyes.

Maura knew that Jane was struggling with a complex emotional issue and needed to talk through it. But she feared she would not be able to provide the emotional support Jane really needed.

Clearly, she was not professionally qualified. Though she had read extensively about human emotions, she was never compelled to apply theory to practice with actual patients. Frankly, it made her nervous to consider working with any live patients, physically or psychologically, whose lives could be irreparably damaged by a mistake. And with her own personal emotional development, which she readily admitted had been stunted, she was well aware she did not have the typical array of life experiences to draw upon and lend an experienced "ear" to help Jane. But she vowed to try, even though she strongly suspected she would be far better at providing comfort food than actual comfort.

"I feel so . . . out of control sometimes. It's kind of scary," Jane admitted honestly, glancing away with a self-conscious wince. Looking back to Maura's beautiful face, Jane couldn't help but speak from her heart. "But it feels so right when I'm…," Jane said with conviction, interrupted by the ring of her cell phone, which abruptly and completely took the wind out of her sails; Jane shut her eyes as he head drooped in defeat, recognizing the eerie ringtone.

"Isn't that your mother?" Maura asked softly, noting Jane making no effort to move or open her eyes. She bit her lip, feeling guilty for the flood of relief she felt that the intensely emotional moment was interrupted.

"Yes."

"Shouldn't you answer that?" Maura asked.

"Probably. But I don't want to let go," Jane mumbled petulantly, bringing a small smile to Maura's face.

"I don't want you to either, but there will eventually be unpleasant physical ramifications if you don't."

Jane chuckled for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, making Maura very pleased with herself. Maybe she could provide what Jane needed emotionally, she considered with growing hope.

The ring tone persisted, prompting a groan.

"Jane?"

"We could try for a Guinness World Record," Jane quickly suggested, gently squeezing Maura's waist. "Longest hug? My mother might actually be impressed."

"Jane, we would need to seriously prepare for a world record attempt, including arranging for a Guinness official to validate our claim . . . and you would eventually have to talk to her," Maura countered.

Jane sighed with a nod, reluctantly letting go to pick up her cell phone on the coffee table.

Immediately feeling the loss of warmth, Maura instinctively wrapped her arms around herself. She realized with fascination that the action was prompted more by the emotional, rather than physical loss she experienced when Jane withdrew from her.

When they had first met, Jane would reach out to her with a touch of her shoulder or squeeze of her hand to make a point or silly comment, oblivious of any discomfort she had attempted to convey. But, as another successful example of immersion therapy, at some point those frequent tactile interactions from Jane did not bother her; she even grew to welcome them.

As they became closer friends, those touches accompanied emotionally exposed and highly uncomfortable times, which should have evoked her strongly ingrained flight response. But Jane made flight increasingly difficult, actually giving her the sincere and undivided attention she had been lacking most of her life. She had not truly understood what had been missing until Jane so freely gave it to her.

"Yeah, Ma?" Jane said, glancing at Maura apologetically. "Sorry, I was busy. No, Ma. No, Ma. Ma! No, I can manage. No. Do not come o…Ma! Maura's here. Yeah, Ma. Yes, she can. Well she is a doctor, you know. She does just fine with live people, Ma. Ok. I know. I know, Ma. No, I'm not going to tell her that. No. Ma! Jeeze!" Jane blurted, then looked at Maura and covered up the speaker with her hand. "She wants to talk to you," she said with a wince. "I could hang up and just say I forgot to charge my phone," she offered.

"You shall do no such thing," Maura said, appalled by the proposed deception.

"Suit yourself," Jane said in resignation and handed over the phone.

Maura paused a moment, surprised by the electricity she felt when their fingers brushed against each other.

"Hello, Mrs. Rizzoli. Of course . . . Angela. Yes. Yes, I am too. Yes, I agree it would put us all at ease. Well, we haven't settled that yet, but that was my intent. Yes, I have everything I need. I'll do my best. Yes. I am well aware she is stubborn."

"Are you also well aware, I'm right here?" Jane hissed and noted a small smile play at Maura's lips.

"Yes. I plan to take good care of her. All right. I understand. Yes, I expect that. Yes. Yes. She is stubborn," Maura offered, glancing at Jane with amusement.

"I believe you've already covered that," Jane grumbled.

"I will. You have my word. You have a good night too, Mrs…Angela," Maura said, correcting herself, and shut the phone, handing it back to Jane with a satisfied smile.

"So she didn't want to talk to me again?" Jane asked curiously, inspecting the phone as if it was broken.

"I believe she is satisfied that I am capable of caring for you in her stead," Maura said with a smile. "Though, I do believe she is a bit frustrated with you. Did you know, she thinks you're very stubborn?" Maura asked innocently.

"Really," she said flatly and rolled her eyes. "You didn't promise her anything I'm going to regret, did you?"

"I . . . don't think so," Maura answered, giving the question serious thought.

Jane threw a brief suspicious look at Maura, then sighed with a weary chuckle. Looking at Maura now, with the interruption past, she smiled sheepishly. Still compelled to try to explain how she felt, Jane took a breath.

"I did promise your mother I would make sure you did not forget to eat," Maura awkwardly interrupted.

Jane watched curiously as Maura proceeded into the kitchen a second time, getting a distinct and troubling impression that she was not similarly compelled to continue any serious, emotional discussions. Jane blinked and rubbed her scarred hands, wondering what she was supposed to do now.

"Soup and salad?" Maura asked, opening up the refrigerator door. She peered inside the nearly empty refrigerator and frowned. "Jane, when was the last time you went grocery shopping?" she asked, shutting the door.

Jane scratched the back of her neck with a wince.

**R&I**

"We could have just ordered Chinese or something," Maura said, dabbing her lips with a napkin as she glanced over the surprisingly elaborate spread on the dinner table. She had meant to prepare dinner for Jane, but Jane had wanted to share in the preparations.

"Tell me you didn't like Ma's lasagna, garlic bread, and cannoli," Jane challenged.

"It was delicious, Jane," Maura offered warmly.

"Now you know why I don't need to shop that often. My freezer is always stocked with Ma's leftovers."

"You need more fresh produce," Maura countered pointedly.

Jane just smiled and sipped her wine. "You know . . . cannoli comes from the Sicilian word cannolo, which means little tube, which in turn is derived from the Latin word canna, meaning reed," she offered, playfully wiggling her eyebrows.

Maura looked at her with delight. Her surprising display of etymological knowledge served to cap off a truly enjoyable dinner. Their conversation had been surprisingly easy and Jane seemed so much more relaxed than Maura had recalled her being in a long time. It seemed as if whatever had been bothering Jane, she apparently had made peace with it.

"Hey, when it comes to me and food," Jane explained with an amused shrug as she stood and grabbed their dishes to clean up. "Not bad for a dumb detective, huh?" she joked.

"Jane!" Maura snapped and stood up to confront her.

"What?" Jane said in surprise.

"Ugh! You can be so aggravating!" She growled.

"What did I do?" Jane blurted defensively, her eyes darting around nervously. She caught a glimpse of Jo Friday scurrying away, which seemed like an excellent idea but Jane was trapped between the sink and Maura, who blocked her only exit.

"You are not, and have never been a "dumb detective," do I make myself clear?!"

"Uh…Maur? It was a joke," Jane said uncomfortably, slowly placing the dishes in the sink.

"No. I don't accept that Jane. I do not want to hear you putting yourself down again. I don't find that remotely humorous because I think you really believe you are somehow ... less …because you don't have a bunch of degrees. And that's …that's . . . a load of bunk!"

"Bunk, Maura?" Jane said with a smirk.

"Don't belittle what I am saying just because I don't resort to profanity to express my frustration," Maura immediately scolded her, making Jane cringe. "You have an amazing mind, Jane. It is one of the reasons you are such a good detective. I would really appreciate it if you remembered that before you default to your dumb detective jokes."

Jane blinked, shell shocked from Maura's speech.

Maura let out a long, frustrated breath. "I'm getting ready for bed," Maura announced, leaving no room for argument, and marched to her large designer bag. Picking it up, she disappeared into the bathroom without another word, which Jane didn't know whether was good or bad. Though, if she was still willing to spend the night and take care of her, it couldn't be that bad, she considered.

Jane spotted her dog peeking out from beneath the couch. "You can come out now, coward."

The dog barked.

Jane sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'd be right there with you, if I could fit," she muttered and finished up with the dishes.

"She says I have an amazing mind," Jane muttered with a humorless laugh, drying the last dish and putting it on the shelf over the sink. "Why is it I still act like an idiot around her?" she asked, looking down at Jo, who rested her head on Jane's foot.

**R&I**

After taking Jo for her final trip outside for the night, Jane chained then bolted the door. She went around her apartment to turn off the lights before retiring to her bathroom to brush her teeth. Seeing Maura's designer toiletries bag neatly positioned on the vanity, she reached out and traced her fingers over its top. It's the small things, she considered, before proceeding to brush her teeth.

When Jane went to her bedroom, the door was partially ajar. "Uh . . . are you decent?" Jane asked awkwardly.

"In what respect?" Maura asked, turning towards Jane's voice.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Dressed?"

"Oh. Then yes."

Jane shook her head and entered to find Maura was seated on the edge of the bed . . . in her long-lost Patriot's Jersey. She smiled broadly. Dr. Maura Isles had stolen her jersey!

"What?" Maura said self-consciously, looking down at the top. "What?"

"Nothing," Jane said, a pleased smile still on her face as she grabbed the Red Sox jersey from the top of her dresser drawer. When Jane pulled it out, there was a clear contrast between Maura's neatly pressed Jersey and her chosen nightwear, causing a frown on Maura's face.

"I am pretty sure wrinkles never killed anyone, Maura," Jane blurted before Maura could say anything.

"I suppose not."

"If you'd be more comfortable, I can find something else," Jane said with a sigh, returning her attention to her drawer. A quick inspection revealed that the only thing she had that was not that wrinkled was her bandage. She was pretty sure neither of them would get a lot of sleep if she just wore that, she considered wryly, then bit her lip as she tried not to think about that. "Maybe I'll . . . iron it," she said hesitantly, wondering where she put the iron.

"Jane, I'm so sorry," Maura said guiltily. "I'm a horrible guest and worse friend. You have obviously been going through a lot lately and all I do is criticize you and your sleepwear laundering habits."

"Whoa, Maura! I didn't take you for a hypocrite," Jane said.

"What?"

"Why is it ok for you to put yourself down but not ok for me to put myself down?" Jane said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Without thinking, she placed hand on Maura's bare knee as she eyed her pointedly.

Maura, almost forgetting the question, offered the only thing that came to her suddenly blank mind. "Because?" she weakly said with a wince.

"Oh. Well, if that's why," Jane laughed with amusement, retracting her hand to tuck her long hair behind her ear.

"All right, I'll admit that is not one of my better arguments," Maura offered, then chuckled self-consciously, looking down at her own hands now uneasily clasped on her lap.

"And it didn't fly when I tried it with you," Jane said with a smirk. "Come on," Jane said, standing up and holding out her hand. "I know you want to look at the stitches."

"Yes, I do." Maura said with surprise, taking the offered hand. "But I expected to have an argument on my hands," Maura admitted, following Jane into the bathroom.

"Did you expect to win the argument?" Jane asked as she put the lid down on the toilet and sat.

"Of course."

"Then we'll save a lot of time. But don't tell anyone I was a pushover. It'll ruin my reputation for being very stubborn," Jane smiled thinly, pulling up the side of her shirt from her jeans.

Maura intently focused on the bandage, then looked at her hands. "I really should put on gloves."

"My Ma always patched me up without gloves and I never got an infection," Jane offered.

Maura looked at her with a frown but nodded and carefully pealed off the tape.

Jane sucked in a sudden breath at the unexpectedly strong, not unpleasant jolt she felt from the brush of Maura's bare fingers.

"Did I hurt you?" Maura asked with concern.

"No."

"Ticklish?" Maura asked with interest, looking at her with a grin.

Jane gave her a warning glared which made Maura chuckle. "You are safe from my data gathering while you heal, detective."

"Thanks."

"This is looking better. It's not as red as this morning. Did you use the antibiotic?" Maura asked.

"Yeah," Jane said with a grimace. "That had to be the worse tasting medicine I have ever had."

"Jane! You didn't inges. . . !" Maura gasped with alarm, then stopped when Jane laughed. "Improper use of medicine is not a laughing matter, Jane!" she scolded.

"Absolutely not," Jane readily agreed, poorly trying to smother her mirth.

Maura proceeded to redress Jane's bandage with a frown. The chuckling made it take longer as Jane's diaphragm kept moving the area of the wound.

"You have an odd sense of humor, Jane," she finally allowed as a small, begrudging smile emerged, enjoying that Jane was happy - in spite of the associated wound care complications. "Which certainly supports the theory that humor is an unexplainable mystery," she said, lowering Jane's shirt. "All done," she added before retreating back to the bedroom.

"Thanks," Jane said and finished up her nightly ablutions. When she entered the bedroom, Maura was sitting up, under the bed covers. Jane paused a moment at the pleasing sight.

Maura looked at her questioningly.

Jane smiled softly. "You know . . . I'm surprised you would subscribe to the unexplainable mystery theory," she said, grabbing her wrinkled Jersey.

Maura eyed the nightshirt pointedly.

"I'm not talking about the condition of my nightshirts," Jane said, rolling her eyes.

Maura smiled at Jane with satisfaction. She was always fascinated when people could communicate without words.

"I personally like the Incongruity Theory of Humor," Jane offered, taking pleasure from the surprised look on Maura's face.

Jane glanced to the bathroom, debating whether she should change in there, but her exhaustion made her opt for where she stood. She slipped off her shoes and jeans then peeled off her top. She turned away with a bit of modesty to take off her bra and slip on her Boston Red Sox nightshirt.

"Incongruity is something we detectives are sensitive to, after all," Jane offered as she turned back to Maura, who blinked at her a curiously long moment before responding.

"I . . . would have never guessed you were a student of humor," Maura said, refocusing on their conversation and not Jane's toned back or whether it was as soft as her neck.

Jane looked at her with feigned injury. "Ow, Maura. Just ow," she said, prompting a small chuckle from Maura. As Jane went over to her side of the bed and got in, Maura shifted onto her side and propped her head on her hand.

"We could debate whether your attempted humor involving feigning an accidental ingestion of a topical cream is incongruity or is actually superiority."

"Oh yeah, let's," Jane said unenthusiastically.

"But I believe humor can and usually falls into several categories which makes the categorization rather inconsequential. And several theorists tend to deem the classification of humor into the categories of incongruity, superiority, and relief, as an oversimplification," Maura said.

Jane looked at her. "How complex does humor really need to be?"

"I suppose complexity is not the most important element in humor. But humor should be funny," she said with conviction.

"Really, Maura?" Jane said with amusement, causing Maura to look at her curiously. "You don't like unfunny humor," Jane said with a smirk.

"No," Maura said thoughtfully. "Not really," she added, withholding a smile.

Jane chuckled. Maura loved that sound.

"So, did you get new shoes to match your new dress for the benefit?" Jane asked, pillowing her head on her arm. She smiled at the expected excitement in Maura's eyes.

"Yes! You'll see how perfectly they go with my dress," she said, very pleased with her find.

"I'm sure they will go much better than any of your other bazillion shoes," Jane said, rolling her eyes.

"They do!" Maura said with conviction.

"I bet you don't even know how many shoes you have," Jane challenged.

"I do too!" she said indignantly.

Jane looked at her expectantly.

"Oh no. I'm not going to tell you. You'll use that information against me," Maura said with a pout.

"You know, you are going to have to admit you have a problem before you can get better," Jane said with concern.

"Jane! I do not have a problem!" she said with a chuckle, shoving her shoulder.

"Denial. So sad," Jane said, shaking her head.

Maura rolled on her back with a mild humph. "I am fairly certain no one has died from too many shoes."

"Not true!" Jane countered emphatically, prompting Maura to eye her in disbelief.

"There was this woman," Jane offered with great seriousness. "…who was all excited as she got ready for her big evening out. When she reached up to the top of the mountain of shoes, for her favorite Jimmy Changas . . .."

"Choos, Jane. Jimmy Choos," Maura corrected with a giggle, which Jane ignored as she continued.

"….her hand slipped, knocking over a pair, which tumbled down, knocking over another pair, causing a deadly domino effect. The poor woman was trapped beneath an avalanche of her own footwear and suffocated in her very own closet!"

Maura laughed.

"I'm serious!"

"That is actually more disturbing than your story," Maura offered with a smile, never having a friend who would joke or tease with her so much, or who would provoke within her such a desire to reciprocate.

Being friends with Jane had brought the joy of play to her life, giving her some understanding of why people gravitated towards social interactions and cultivated several friends.

"Sleep well, Jane," she offered softly and settled back with a smile still on her face.

"I'll sleep well, if you do one thing for me," Jane negotiated.

Maura looked at Jane. "What?" she asked cautiously.

"Be careful with those shoes of yours," Jane said seriously. Maura rolled her eyes with an amused smile.

"Very well, Jane. I promise to be careful," Maura said solemnly, placing her hand on her heart.

Jane smiled and nodded. Her smile faded slightly as she looked at Maura. "Things are better with you, than without you, Maura," she said softly, bringing a surprised, curious smile to her friend for that heartfelt comment. "Thanks for putting up with me," Jane added and smiled self-consciously. She settled back and shut her eyes. "Sweet dreams."

Maura looked at Jane's profile a long moment, deeply touched by Jane's sincere words. She debated whether she should comment on her "putting up" with Jane, knowing Jane also "put up" with her. But instead, she accepted those simple words as a gift from the best friend she ever had.

"Sweet dreams," she whispered, never having whispered those words to anyone before. Shutting her eyes, she drifted off to sleep with a contented smile.

* * *

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9 Circumstantial Evidence

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 9)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Circumstantial Evidence**

Jane went into work with a travel mug and thermos of freshly brewed coffee, which was a surprise; she didn't realize she had a thermos until Maura found it in a cabinet over her refrigerator. How she knew to look there at five-thirty in the morning and why she insisted on Jane bringing a thermos in was beyond Jane; though the home brew was really good, she considered as she took another sip.

Maura was rather disappointed that she could not prepare a homemade breakfast, prompting Jane to suggest she just thaw out some more lasagna or, better yet, cannoli, which goes really well with coffee. Maura glared at her like she had two heads and took charge of serving her the other standby – Lucky Charms. She thanked GOD that her milk had not yet soured, not wanting to think of how Maura would have reacted if she had been unable to serve a properly prepared bowl of cereal. Jane shook her head; Maura was taking her promise to her mother to make sure she was well fed way too seriously.

But even with Maura's determination to fulfill that promise, Jane smiled, having really enjoyed the morning with her, going about their morning routine as if they had being doing that for years. She wondered how she would broach the subject of Maura spending another night. They hadn't discussed it and her side was healing fine, even Maura said so, so there was really no reason – except that Jane wanted it. Thought, maybe she could use keeping her mother away as an excuse, she considered with a pleased smile at her plan.

"You were right," Frost said, jumping up to join her as she walked to her desk.

"Well, of course I was!" Jane said indignantly, causing Frost to wince. "What was I right about?" she asked with interest, sipping her coffee.

Frost glared at her before answering. "The siblings are sole beneficiaries for insurance policies on each other."

"Well, are they now," she said thoughtfully. "Nothing on the parent's accident that might suggest it wasn't an accident?" she asked, sitting at her desk.

"Not directly. But get this - the detective in charge of the investigation? He was arrested for taking bribes in three other cases five years ago."

"Really?" Jane said with hope, getting a nod.

"We need to interview him now!" Jane said eagerly.

"Can't," Frost said with wince. "He died three months ago."

**R&I**

"Taking out an insurance policy on a family member is not against the law, Rizzoli," the Lieutenant said sitting back in her chair, eyeing her over her reading glasses.

"No, but killing for the insurance money is," Jane said.

"What evidence do you have?"

"Nothing concrete from the parents' accident yet. It's all circumstantial at this point, based on a hunch," she said with a disappointed sigh, handing over her notes to her boss, who took them. "Frost did the leg work," she offered absently, wishing they had more.

The Lieutenant glanced at her with a slight, pleased smile before reading over the details. Her smile faded. "A bad cop," she exhaled with distaste, shaking her head.

"That opens up a few questions about his rigor on the parents' case, but we don't have answers yet," Jane said, not very happy about that.

"Compelling theory," she allowed and placed the notes down on her desk.

"Compelling enough to bring them in for questioning?" Jane said.

The Lieutenant eyed her a moment. "How do you want to play it?"

Jane smiled.

**R&I**

Seeing Korsak sit down at his desk with a large coffee and a banana nut muffin, Crowe smirked.

"Hey Korsak, are you going to be able to fit in your uniform tomorrow night?"

"I'll have you know," Korsak said sharply, then frowned, unable to think of anything. He finished with a defiant "Yes."

"I didn't know they made girdles in your size," Crowe said with a snicker as Vince looked down at his muffin with a frown. "So how'd you snag a seat at the Lieutenant's table?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he said with surprise.

"Man, you're never going to get promoted," Crowe said with a derisive laugh, shaking his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I bet you don't even know what VIPs are going to be there, let alone who's at your table."

"I haven't seen a list yet," Korsak said defensively.

Crowe smiled with satisfaction and held up a list, waving it in the air.

"You going to be an ass or are you going to show me?" Korsak said, eyeing the annoying man. Good thing he was a decent detective, Korsak considered.

Crowe frowned as he rolled his eyes, and shoved the list towards the brusque older detective, who was never going to make brass. Good thing he was a decent detective, Crowe considered.

"What the . . . they spelled my name wrong! Vincent Korrak?!" he said in a huff.

"Remember, they're volunteers," Crowe said with a smirk. "Spouses and family volunteering their valuable time to help raise money for the policemen's fund yadda yadda…," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

"But they managed to spell the Lieutenant's name right and not mine? Unbelievable," Korsak said with irritation. "Who's this next to her? I've never heard of him before," he said, noting Barry "Prost" and his date were at an adjacent table with Jane and "Laura." At least Homicide was seated close together, he considered, not wanting to be near Vice, who couldn't stop bragging about their big bust at the fight club, completely ignoring the apparently trivial fact that it was homicide's stakeout.

"Her husband, you idiot."

"Well how the hell should I know? It's not like she took his last name."

"Yeah," Crowe said with a frown. "I wonder what kind of guy would marry her. I mean . . . ," Crowe started. "I'd bet she's the one who wears the pants, if you know what I mean."

"Stop now," Korsak warned.

"Come on, Korsak, what self-respecting guy would let his wife keep her maiden name? Or be a homicide detective for that matter," Crowe said, in a righteous rant for chauvinists everywhere.

"I mean it, Crowe," he cautioned.

"Whatever," Crowe said, waving his hand at the older man dismissively. "And what's with the husband's name? Can it sound more gay?" Crowe muttered with a derisive snort, shaking his head as Vince sighed and shook his head.

"So what name would you approve of, Crowe? Chad, Derek? Oh I know, Dick," the annoyed Lieutenant snapped.

"Uh…Lieutenant!" Crowe blurted, quickly turning towards the Lieutenant, finding a cold glare. "I didn't mean, I mean…uh."

"Korsak? Will you be available to help with the interviews tomorrow?" the Lieutenant asked, staring at Crowe, who could not look her in the eye. His gaze dropped as he tried not to wince.

"Of course," Korsak said, surprised to find he took little pleasure in Crowe's discomfort. He could only think of the long list of violent crimes associated with Marie Largo and how she broke that guy's hand in the fight club. And from the glare she gave Crowe, it looked like he'd be lucky with only a broken hand.

The Lieutenant briefly nodded at Vince. "Rizzoli will fill you in. Should be interesting," she said and glared at Crowe one more time before she left.

The only good coming from that exchange, Korsak considered, was that Crowe had finally shut his big fat mouth.

**R&I**

"Hey Maura!" Jane said with a happy smile on her face as she entered the Medical examiner's office.

"Jane," Maura said, looking up from her files with a pleased smile. She looked so much better than yesterday, which Maura attributed to Jane getting a good night's sleep - which was essential to healing. She thankfully did not have any of the violent nightmares, which Maura witnessed when Hoyt was after her. Jane slept so soundly, she barely stirred when Maura got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night – even though Jane's arm had wound up wrapped around her. When she returned, Jane had just mumbled something unintelligible and returned her arm to its original position, wrapped around her.

Even Maura found she had slept better, in spite of her personal space being so clearly encroached upon.

"The Lieutenant is letting me run with my idea on the case," Jane reported, clearly pleased.

"I am not surprised. She strikes me as a perceptive and intelligent woman," Maura said easily, happy Jane seemed to be getting along with her boss.

"You don't even know what my idea is," Jane said with amusement.

"No. But from your previously astute observations and successes, I am confident it is insightful and merit worthy."

Jane looked at her with feigned surprise. "Why Maura, you do know how to sweet-talk a girl," she said, then grinned.

Maura looked at her curiously.

"Jane, I only stated my conclusion based on empirical evidence. To say I was "sweet- talking" would mean I was coaxing or cajoling you to do something with flattery," Maura said.

Jane smirked. "You make that sound like a bad thing."

"Would you actually be receptive to someone trying to coax you with flattery?" Maura asked skeptically.

"Depends entirely on the person, how well they flatter me, and what they were trying to coax me to do," Jane said with a smile, getting Maura to look at her as she considered that comment. "So, what do you say we try for lunch again, like at that new Salad Palace place? I would really like to spend more time with my favorite Medical Examiner – and not because of an increase in homicides," Jane said with a smile and a sparkle in her eye.

Maura looked at her a curious moment before smiling. "I see what you mean. Though, I would say you could work on your flattery," she noted with amusement.

Jane shook her head with a chuckle. "Guess I'll just have to work on that. So, in the mean time, what do you say about lunch?"

"As I am rather partial to you and the subject of your coaxing, I'd love to have lunch with you."

"Great! It's a date," Jane said happily and started out of her office, pausing at the door. "Maura? You are, by far, my favorite Medical Examiner. Hands down. No competition. Numero Uno. A number one. Super Primo. Unsurpassable…."

With an amused smile, Maura opened her mouth to interrupt but Jane was quicker.

"So I'll meet you here at high noon?"

"All right. Noon," Maura confirmed, chuckling at Jane's infectious happiness.

"Great, I'll see you then. Bye!" Jane said and was suddenly gone.

Maura stared at the empty doorway a moment before glancing at her watch to see how long before seeing Jane again. Too long, she concluded with a shake of her head and returned her attention to her reports.

**R&I**

Back in her office, the Lieutenant sat down with an angry sigh, realizing she had let Crowe get to her. She had hoped she left all the chauvinist assholes she'd ever meet behind in New York, but she had to face the fact - they were everywhere. Rubbing her eyes, she sighed again, reminding herself she had worked too damn hard to overcome all the hurdles in her life, including her own stupid mistakes, to blow it all now - even if punching the jerk's lights out would have felt really good.

Glancing around her office, she considered how she should have advanced through the ranks on her home turf. But things got so fucked up there and bridges were burned. All she could do was look forward, in Boston now - and finish a shit-load of paperwork, she thought wearily, looking at the plentiful boxes with a frown. The plentiful paperwork wasn't going to get done on it's own, she considered and looked around her cluttered desk for her goddamn reading glasses.

Her cell rang, interrupting her search. With a sigh, she answered it.

"Lieutenant…"

"It's me, Marie," a familiar voice interrupted.

She shut her eyes trying to reign in her emotions at the sound of that voice and that name. "I told you, I'm done," she growled.

"Seems there are some who disagree. We need to meet. I can make it there tomorrow. And try not to shoot the messenger, huh?" he said.

She numbly listened to the details for their meeting, not registering the goodbye until hearing a dial tone. Taking an uneasy breath, she stared at the phone a long moment before setting it down. Her shaking hands covered her face, her worst fears that had lain dormant after much effort and time, erupted with a vengeance. And when she got frightened, she got angry. Her hand balled up into a fist that slammed down on her desk, inadvertently sending her glasses flying, finally landing on one of many boxes of files that taunted her.

She suddenly burst out of her chair, which shot back, hitting the wall. Shutting her eyes tightly, she forced a calming breath, thinking of the one person who had always helped to slay her dragons, the one person she would fight the world for and at times, thought she had. She thought of the one person who threatened to leave her if she ever dealt with these people and lived that life again. She looked down and caressed the wedding ring on her finger, the precious symbol she did not take lightly.

She had a wonderful life that she had fought for and almost lost because of them. She wasn't about to let anyone ruin it for her now.

**R&I**

"So, we'll see what happens," Jane said with a shrug, drinking her iced tea as Maura nibbled on her mixed greens salad.

After swallowing, Maura said, "I'm always fascinated by how people can conclude that it is actually worth taking a life and risking one's future in the hope of monetary gain."

"Well, sometimes people are just stupid," Jane offered, picking up a cheeseburger, causing Maura to frown, again. "Hey! The meat gives me the needed iron," she said, smiling before taking a bite.

"You could get iron from fruits and vegetables, like strawberries and broccoli."

"Had I only known I could have had strawberries and broccoli before I ordered a cheeseburger," Jane said, feigning lament as she looked at her lunch. She grinned happily and took another bite.

"I had hoped that when you suggested a restaurant specializing in salads that you would be inclined to order one."

"But I really like cheeseburgers, Maura," Jane said, looking down at her burger.

"Evidently," she said and sighed. "You really should think about eating more fresh produce," Maura offered.

"OK," Jane said, biting a French fry.

"OK?"

"Didn't expect that, huh?" Jane said with a grin.

"Frankly, no."

"We can go shopping for me tonight, if you want. You can point out the iron-rich produce and stuff," Jane said, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"Are you actually volunteering to go grocery shopping, which you don't like to do, to get fresh produce, which you don't seem to like?"

"Yep. We both can benefit from the outing."

"Exactly how would I benefit from the outing?" Maura said with amusement.

"You get to spend more time with me," Jane said with a grin.

"Oh," Maura said with a smile. She had to admit, Jane did make a compelling argument.

"All right, I can sweeten the deal," Jane continued, surprising Maura. "First we go shopping, then as a thank you, I'll make you dinner," she said. "Actually, that is also helping me out too," she said with a guilty wince, then tossed out with a shrug: "Ma will want to come over if she thinks there is no one…," Jane said, noticing with some annoyance that she did not have Maura's undivided attention.

"Agent Dean?" Maura said as the man walked up to their table.

"Dr. Isles," Gabriel Dean responded and looked at Jane warmly. "Jane. It's good to see you. Both," he added awkwardly, glancing at Dr. Isles with a small smile.

"I appreciate your attempt at including me, but it isn't necessary," Maura said with a smile.

"Why are you in town?" Jane quickly asked as her posture stiffened, which in turn caused Maura a similar tenseness. Every time Agent Dean was in town, there seemed to be a Hoyt problem for Jane. Good God, what if he was after Jane again, Maura worried, biting her lip as she reached out for Jane's hand.

Jane glanced at her worriedly, grateful for the comfort.

"Uh, following up on a computer hack," he offered vaguely, but it was sufficient information to achieve the desired result; Jane sighed with relief.

Maura squeezed Jane's hand, which earned her a smile of thanks.

"Well, I'm sure you two would like to catch up. I'll be heading back and let you," Maura said pleasantly.

"But . . . ," Jane said with a frown as Maura efficiently collected her purse and stood.

"Actually I can't stay here, I have to meet with someone in about fifteen," Gabe offered, glancing at his watch. "But what about after work?" he asked hopefully.

"Maura and I have plans," Jane said with a bit of irritation. The guy drops in unexpectedly and thinks she was going to drop everything to see him?

"Nothing we can't postpone. I'm sure your health will not be too adversely affected if you wait a few more days until you incorporate more fresh produce into your diet," she said with a smile. "I'll leave you to your planning. Nice seeing you again, Gabriel. See you later, Jane," Maura said and retreated from them with brisk steps, disappearing out the door.

Jane frowned, always surprised by how quickly Maura could move in those high heels.

"So? How about dinner?" Gabe asked.

Jane looked at the handsome man. The kind of man her mother would just love. The kind of man no one would question her attraction to. The kind of man she was expected to end up with…even by Maura, who seemed to be actually encouraging it.

"Korsak?" Jane said with surprise, causing Gabe to frown.

Her ex-partner froze and turned towards her with an uncomfortable smile.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said you would never set foot in a place called the Salad Palace," Jane said.

"Uh . . . It's never too late to adopt a healthier diet, Jane," Vince said, patting his belly.

"Hell has frozen over...or has Maura been talking to you too?" Jane asked suspiciously.

"Maura? No, why?" Korsak said, looking between the two curiously. Gabe just shrugged.

"Never mind," Jane said and stood. Noting Gabe's hopeful look, she sighed. "You can pick me up at my apartment at seven. Nothing too fancy."

Gabe nodded with a smile. "It's a date," he said.

She looked at him a thoughtful moment and smiled before leaving.

When she was back at the office, she sought out Maura. Looking around the morgue, she saw Maura's assistant come in. "Looking for Dr. Isles?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jane said, looking towards Maura's office.

"She left. She said she had some errands to run."

* * *

TBC


	10. Chapter 10 Choices

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 10)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Choices**

Jane looked at her watch and sighed. She roamed her apartment, doing a bit of picking up and organizing. She thought that there had to be some study about excessive compulsive behavior that explained why she found herself cleaning up when she was nervous. She made a mental note to ask Maura.

She glanced at her watch again, noting the good Agent Dean was running late. She went to the fridge and opened it, spying the groceries she had bought on the way home. She smirked, knowing Maura would likely frown upon most of her food choices.

When she reached for a beer, which she believed an essential staple in any home, there was a knock at the door. With a heavy exhale, she returned the beer to the fridge and went to answer the door.

After looking through the spyglass, she opened the door and smiled. "Hi."

"Sorry I'm late. You ready?" He asked.

"Sure."

**R&I**

They sat in a small Italian restaurant, aglow in candlelight. It was a rather romantic setting she considered, glancing around at the various couples. Almost as romantic as her dinner with Maura last night, she considered, wishing she hadn't been so quickly and thoroughly discarded when Agent Dean showed up. Returning her gaze to her dinner companion she smiled weakly at Gabe, who smiled back.

"So, any luck with your computer hacker?" She asked, sipping her wine.

"It's . . . under control," he said with a small smile. Jane looked at him, really disliking his secretive nature. Sure he was FBI, but come _on_, she thought with irritation.

"So how's your case with the bicyclist going?" he asked.

"It's . . . under control," she repeated with a thin smile.

Gabriel Dean eyed her. "Have I done something to annoy you?"

She glanced down to her plate, knowing she was being a bit childish. "No. I'm sorry I'm not the best company tonight."

"It's ok," he said, poking at his eggplant Parmesan. "Korsak said you got injured the other night," he noted, looking at her closely.

"He's got a big mouth," Jane muttered with a frown.

"He cares for you, Jane," Gabe offered and added softly "I do too."

Jane looked at him, knowing he was sincere. He really was a good, decent man who would likely make a very good husband and father. "I know," she said, then exhaled heavily. "Remember the last dinner we had together?"

He nodded with a slight cringe, recalling the dinner vividly. "You're still not ready for someone to worry about you?" he guessed hesitantly.

Jane chuckled weakly. "Actually, I am," she admitted.

He looked at her with surprise and a flicker of hope.

"I want the dinners," she started with a small smile. "And the movies and the sharing of Sunday papers. I want someone who can endure my family and not hold them against me," she said with a small grin, making Gabe chuckle. "I want someone to do laundry with and talk about the Red Sox, or advancements in forensic science, or … the dietary needs of her tortoise," she said, looking at him apologetically.

His eyes widened. "Her?"

Jane nodded.

"I . . . didn't see that coming," he said hesitantly.

"Neither did I," she said honestly.

He nodded in understanding; sometimes you don't. He looked at her curiously. "I didn't know Dr. Isles had a turtle," he ventured, knowing of no other woman that Jane was really close to.

Jane laughed, relieved. "Tortoise," she corrected with a grin.

Gabe looked at her, reluctantly considering that it did make sense. While they were opposites, Dr. Isles and Detective Rizzoli fit well together.

"His name is Bass. Scared the shit out of me the first time I saw him. He's huge," she said, holding her hands out to show him. "But he sort of grows on you," she offered with a small shrug and a smile.

"I never thought about having a tortoise for a pet. I don't suppose you can teach him to fetch the paper?" Gabe asked dryly.

Jane chuckled. "I can't get Jo Friday to fetch the paper, so I'm not exactly an authority on animal training. But I'm sure that if Maura really wanted Bass to fetch the paper, he would," she said confidently with a smile.

"You know, I think you're right," Gabe said thoughtfully, making Jane grin.

"But it probably wouldn't be worth the effort - the paper would probably be yesterday's by the time she got it," Jane noted, making Gabe chuckle.

As they continued their now easy conversation, he briefly glanced to her hands that she used, as any real Italian would, to talk with. The notable scars on her hands were a visible reminder of the horror she was subjected to by the serial killer, Hoyt. Gabriel had always been amazed by how she managed to stay so upbeat after being subjected to one horrifying experience, let alone two from the same man. Her inner strength and ability to get past emotional and physical distress was one of Jane's most amazing qualities, he considered. As his gaze returned to her dark eyes while she told him another story about Maura, he noted something in them he had never seen before.

Joy.

**R&I**

Jane stood outside of Maura's door and took a deep breath. It wasn't terribly late, but it was a bit late for an unannounced visit. She bit her lip and knocked, hoping this wasn't a mistake. After a short moment, the porch light came on and Maura opened the front door, surprised to find her friend.

"I'm . . . not interrupting anything, am I?" Jane asked with a wince as panic suddenly washed over her, just realizing there was a chance she was. Why the hell didn't she call, she thought, dreading the prospect of finding Maura with Mr. Yoga Grabby Hands again . . . or anyone else.

"Just some reading," Maura responded, prompting Jane to exhale with relief. "Why are you here?" Maura asked curiously.

Jane frowned, her resolve quickly fading. "I . . . should have called. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you, Maur. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" she said with an apologetic smile, stepping back.

"Jane!" Maura growled and reached out to grab her hand. "You are not bothering me. I'm glad you're here. Come in, please."

"You sure?" Jane said as Maura pulled her inside. "I'll understand if you're not up for company."

"You are not company," Maura responded, waving her hand dismissively as she headed to the kitchen, making Jane wonder what she meant. "Would you like some wine?" Maura asked.

"Sure," Jane said, joining Maura in the kitchen as she watched her get two glasses.

"How did your dinner go?" she asked as she poured the wine.

"Good. Thanks," Jane said as she accepted the glass, letting her fingers brush against Maura's and linger a moment.

"Just good?" Maura managed to say with a forced smile, unnerved by how a slight touch from Jane managed to cause such a large physical response – an inappropriate response to her best friend, who had entrusted her with intimate access to her thoughts and feelings.

"Maura? Can I ask you a question?" Jane asked, looking down at her wine, absently tracing her finger over the lip of the glass, before returning her very serious gaze to Maura.

"What's wrong?" she asked, alarmed by both Jane's somber mood and her own preoccupation with Jane's long, elegant fingers caressing the glass.

"Why were you pushing for me to go on a date with Gabe?" Jane asked softly.

Maura looked at her, startled by the question. "P . . . Pushing?"

Jane nodded.

"I . . . Am I not supposed to be supportive and want you happy?" She asked worriedly, wondering what she had done wrong.

"And you think Gabe would make me happy?" Jane asked gently, searching Maura's confused eyes.

"I thought… Yes. You seemed very interested in him before. And you do make a handsome couple," Maura said logically, feeling the intensity of Jane's gaze. She had selfishly wanted to keep their plans of shopping and dinner but she knew that would be wrong. A true best friend was not selfish, she firmly believed.

"Things have changed," Jane offered, putting her untouched wine down on the kitchen counter.

"I . . . didn't know," Maura said with an apologetic wince. "I'm sorry. I only want you to be happy, Jane," she said sincerely.

Jane smiled softly and slowly stepped closer.

Much closer, Maura noted.

"Going grocery shopping and dining with you would have made me happy," Jane said, taking Maura's hands gently in hers.

"I'm . . . sorry," Maura said uneasily. She was very happy to learn Jane would have rather spent the night with her, but that knowledge only served to amplify the troubling arousal that washed over her from Jane's touch.

"Your hands are trembling," Jane whispered, suspecting the reason why. Hoping.

Maura was not about to admit her struggle with her uncooperative body, which craved Jane's touch. "I didn't mean to ruin our evening together," Maura said instead, taking an uneasy breath as her eyes moistened. "I'm not a very good best friend," she said dejectedly.

"I think we had this conversation before," Jane gently scolded. "You're the best, best friend I have ever had, Maura."

"Jane," Maura countered, looking down at their hands. "The evidence is quite clear; I'm not," she said miserably, unable to stop her traitorous physical response to Jane. She tried to pull her hands back, hoping that putting some distance between them would help. "Please let go," she said, weakly tugging to free her hands.

"I don't want to let go, Maura," Jane said emphatically. "Why do you want me to? Make me understand," Jane said, looking at her intently, holding on firmly.

A tear fell, then another. Maura felt dizzy with the overwhelming feelings assaulting her - guilt, love, lust, embarrassment.

"Please." Jane begged in a whisper, her own eyes started to water seeing Maura so upset. But in Jane's heart, she knew this conversation was desperately needed. "I need to know why my best friend is intent on running away when I touch her," Jane said.

"How can I possibly be your best friend, Jane?!" Maura finally erupted in despair. "How can I be if all I can think about when you touch me is how much you arouse me, how much . . . how much I want to touch you!" Maura cried raggedly, too embarrassed to look Jane in the eye as more tears fell.

"Oh. Thank. God!" Jane exhaled with supreme relief before smiling with joy at Maura, who looked up in surprise and uncertainty. "Oh sweetie, if arousal is a sign of being a bad friend, then I'm the worst friend you'll ever have," she explained with a chuckle.

Maura just stared at her.

Realizing Maura was still trying to comprehend and accept her words, Jane gently squeezed her hands before releasing one. She tenderly cupped her cheek, gently wiping away the trail of tears with her thumb. Leaning in for a kiss, she paused just before their lips touched. She waited, wanting Maura to finally close the very small distance between them as she continued to lovingly stroke her cheek with her thumb.

Maura's heart raced as she took an uneasy breath, realizing with wonder that Jane was not offended. Jane did not think her closest friend had crossed a line, violating her friendship or trust. Jane actually wanted what she wanted.

Her hand suddenly shot up behind Jane's neck, possessively pulling her in, causing their lips to smash together, not as a friend, but as a lover desperate with need.

Jane moaned at the thrill of a dominant Maura and the heady feel of soft flesh and hardened nipples pressing firmly against her. Jane's hands sought to map out the curved surfaces she had admired from afar as they traveled down Maura's silk-covered back to her perfect hips and backside.

When their lips parted, they were breathing heavily.

"Bedroom?" Maura husked.

Jane bit her lip and looked towards the bedroom uncertainly.

"Are you worried about rushing things?"

Jane nodded with a sheepish wince.

"So sweet," Maura said softly, caressing Jane's face, before leaning in and kissing her again, a bit less desperate but no less passionate or arousing. She broke the kiss and kissed her way to the tender flesh of Jane's neck, where she nipped and nibbled with a contented hum.

"Oooh," Jane moaned, surprised she was still standing. "You are . . . certainly . . . not shy . . . about this," she said, surprised she could still form a sentence.

Maura pulled back and looked at Jane thoughtfully. "We are both healthy, consenting adults," Maura offered. "But I . . . I do understand if you wish to take this slow," she said with difficulty, her body and emotions not quite in agreement with her logical mind. "It is a big change in our relationship," she acknowledged. "And it would have to be. This will not be casual for me, Jane," she said firmly, though Jane saw a flicker of uncertainty and vulnerably in her eyes.

Jane smiled with relief; Maura wanted what she wanted. With a gentle, lingering kiss of promise, she stated "this is definitely not casual for me either, Maura."

Seeing an interesting combination of relief and desire in Maura's eyes, Jane asked curiously: "So . . . you'd really be ok with waiting?"

"The last thing I would want is for you to be uncomfortable, Jane," Maura said honestly, caressing Jane's cheek. "I don't want you preoccupied or worried when we finally copulate," she said, pulling Jane back into a warm hug.

Jane winced at the clinical terminology. But she was certain the wonderful feel of her body in her arms and their emotional connection would overcome Maura's sterile words.

"I don't want you distracted when my fingers . . ." Maura said softly as her fingers traveled down Jane's back and indulged in a possessive caress of her posterior.

Jane's eyes widened.

". . . and lips . . . ," Maura said and brushed her lips gently over Jane's amazingly sensitive neck.

Jane exhaled with a whimper.

". . . and tongue . . . ," she said, now licking Jane's neck in various strokes, demonstrating very promising skill.

Jane moaned.

". . . all thoroughly explore your body, slowly coaxing every one of your erogenous zones," Maura whispered seductively into Jane's ear, her warm breath a gentle caress. ". . . until you beg me for release," she said and took her earlobe into her warm, wet mouth and suckled, her tongue flicking the sensitive tab of flesh.

"Jesus," Jane squeaked, feeling a direct connection . . . South.

"Making you climax, over . . . and over. . . and over," she said slowly, pressing her body into Jane's, over and over, perfectly accentuating her words of promise.

Pulling back, Maura smiled. "Just so we're clear."

**R&I**

They lay in each other's arms in Maura's bed, naked and spent.

"I'm glad we waited," Jane said with a chuckle, kissing Maura's temple as her fingers lightly stoked her arm.

"Waiting usually is a prudent thing to do," Maura said, her fingers absently caressing Jane's side, careful of her bandaged side that miraculously survived the strenuous physical activity. "It was at least four minutes," she noted dryly.

"I'm surprised it was that long."

"I am very pleased with the results of your impatience," Maura said with a pleased smirk as she caressed Jane's bare hip.

"Tell me those four minutes did not feel like an eternity," Jane challenged with amusement.

Maura paused her caress as she considered the question thoughtfully. "I'll concede that point," she offered graciously.

"As well you should," Jane said haughtily.

The two chuckled.

"I love you, Maura," Jane said softly, caressing her arm. "I really do."

Maura shifted and propped herself on her elbow to look into Jane's eyes. "You have proven that many times, Jane. Even before we became sexually intimate."

"Well, you are easy to love," Jane said simply, tracing her fingers over her brow and down her cheek.

Maura smiled happily and leaned in for kiss, which sparked another and another.

Jane took a needed breath and exhaled "Dear God. Right now, I'm the worstest friend you have ever, ever had."

Maura giggled. Her mirth faded as she looked tenderly at Jane's smiling face that only enhanced her already considerable beauty.

"I love you, Jane," she said softly.

Jane's long fingers tenderly brushed aside errant strands of hair off of Maura's brow. "And you have proven that many, many times to me, Maura," she said sincerely, earning a pleased smile. "Even before the hot monkey loooove."

"Jane! I can't believe you would equate our lovemaking to…ohhhh. Yessss. Right there."

**R&I**

Soft classical music from the alarm clock radio grew louder, rousing Jane from a deep sleep. She groaned as she slowly became more aware of her surroundings . . . the cotton sheet against her cheek . . . and the smell of Maura. She smiled groggily as wonderful memories of last night filled her conscious thoughts. Opening one eye, she spied the other side of the big bed. It was empty. Her immediate frown was replaced with a small smile when she detected coffee brewing. As she sat up, the covers slipped down to reveal her naked form.

Getting out of bed, she stretched, feeling sore but very happy. Shuffling sleepily towards the bathroom, she was startled by the living mass in her way. "Ah!" Jane blurted and dashed back to the bedroom, grabbing a pillow and covering herself.

"Jane? Are you all right?" Maura said with worry, quickly returning to the bedroom and stepping around Bass, who was slowly plodding along.

"Your boy turtle is a peeping Bass," Jane accused, pointing at the creature.

"Tortoise," Maura said and chuckled at Jane's displeased face and her silly attempt to cover herself with a pillow.

"Fine! I'm going to shower now," Jane said with a pout.

"And I'll have a talk with him about boundaries," Maura said with amusement.

"You do that," Jane said, glaring at the tortoise before returning her focus to Maura, who was already dressed and looking amazing. "Morning," she said softly with a lop-sided grin and gave her a quick peck on the lips, mindful Maura had brushed already and she hadn't. "I won't be long," she said and left the room, with the pillow, leaving Maura with a good view of her backside. Even with the healing bruises, Jane was an incredibly beautiful woman.

"Now Bass," Maura said in a motherly tone, loud enough for Jane to hear in the bathroom. "You are going to need to understand that Jane is going to be around more often and in various states of undress. You should respect her privacy, as she is very shy. Although I can see how after last night's vocal and multiple orgasms, you would never have guessed our Jane would be shy," Maura said with a big smile.

"I heard that!"

"So did Bass," Maura responded helpfully.

"Aw, Maura, did you have to go and say that?"

Maura smiled and returned to the kitchen.

**R&I**

Maura sipped her coffee, reviewing the latest issue of Forensics Quarterly. When Jane joined her in the kitchen, she smiled as Jane gently pulled her hair back and kissed her neck.

"You didn't need to rush, you have plenty of time before your shift," Maura noted.

"I need to swing by my apartment. Jo needs her morning walk and there is bound to be at least one detective to notice I am wearing the same clothing," Jane said with a shrug, leaning over to kiss her on the lips. Glancing at the magazine, she cringed. "Nice breakfast reading material," she noted dryly, seeing the pictures of a decomposed hand covered in maggots.

"We really should plan our evenings better. I want to savor our mornings together," Maura said, which earned her a smile and another, longer kiss.

"I need coffee," Jane blurted after pulling back from the kiss. "For some reason, I'm really exhausted this morning," she said with a smirk.

"You need to eat something too," Maura said, getting up as Jane grabbed a mug and poured herself a cup.

"I'll snag a dough…," Jane said, then stopped, seeing the disapproval on Maura's face. ". . . a healthy breakfast choice at home," she slowly amended with a smile and sipped from her mug.

"Jane?" Maura asked with a thoughtful look. "How do you want to handle the development in our relationship at work?"

Jane leaned against the kitchen counter and shrugged. "I hadn't really thought through all of it, Maura," she admitted. "I know I'll get a ration of shit from Crowe, who is a chauvinist ass. But I don't think he'll bother you. If he does, I'll take care of him."

Maura nodded thoughtfully, surprising Jane with her failure to scold her about language.

"Did you have something in mind?" Jane asked curiously, sipping from her mug.

"Not really, no. Do you really think this could cause trouble for you, Jane?" Maura asked worriedly.

"Maura, there are bound to be a few jerks who will make some comments. It's still a boy's club and some still have problems with a female encroaching on their turf. And now it's not just their profession," she said with a wry smile, making Maura frown more.

Jane set her mug down and stepped towards Maura, taking her hands in hers. "I refuse to let them dictate to me how I should live my life," she said, squeezing Maura's hands. "I'll admit it took me a bit of soul searching to get to this point of enlightenment," Jane said with a self-conscious smile. "I was afraid of my family's reaction and, I'll admit, I was worried about how it would affect me professionally," Jane offered softly.

"And now?" Maura asked softly.

"I think my family just wants me to be happy. And you make me so very happy, Maura."

Maura smiled with satisfaction. "The feeling's mutual. But that won't ensure there won't be difficulties for you at work."

"You're right. But I love you. And even if I wanted to, I don't think I could pretend I didn't."

Maura looked at Jane with a pleased smile.

As Jane leaned in for a kiss, Maura warned: "You'd better go now, or you'll be late for work and Jo Friday will be very upset."

* * *

TBC


	11. Chapter 11 Interrogations

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 11)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Interrogations**

At the precinct, before shift, Korsak sat at his desk, staring at a plain rice cake he brought in lieu of a donut, as he sipped his coffee with two creamers and three sugars. He took one bite and frowned distastefully. He spit out the mouthful in a napkin, tossing it and the remaining rice cake into the trash.

Standing up, he pulled out a handful of change from his pocket and picked out the quarters as he headed to the candy machine. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the Lieutenant walking to her office with Agent Dean and another man.

"What's going on?" Frost said, making Korsak jump.

"Jesus, you're gonna give me a heart-attack!"

"No, the candy in that machine is going to do that. So what's going on with Dean and the Lieutenant?"

"I don't know," he said with a shrug.

"You spoke to him yesterday, how could you not know?" Frost said.

"He said it was complicated and that he was still looking into it," Korsak responded testily.

"Complicated? What does that mean?"

"He didn't elaborate, all right? Feds like to hold things close, ok?" Korsak said with annoyance as Frost stared at the Lieutenant's office.

"Well he must have found something. Who's the other suit?"

"I. Don't. Know."

"I can't believe…"

"Would you shut it already?" Korsak snapped. "You are worse than my ex-wife."

"Which one?" Frost quickly asked with a smirk, amused by the glare he received.

Agent Dean came out of the Lieutenant's office and looked at them. "Detectives, could you two please join us?"

Frost and Korsak looked at each other uneasily.

**R&I**

When they entered the Lieutenant's office, they noticed the Lieutenant standing at her window, staring out over the town. Her arms were crossed over her chest with her rigid back towards them.

"Detectives Frost and Korsak, this is Assistant Director Lowery from the FBI's organized crime unit," Agent Dean introduced, after he closed the door.

The grey-haired man looked at the Detectives and nodded tersely. Korsak and Frost nodded back and glanced at each other uneasily.

"I understand you two have come into possession of classified FBI information on one Marie Largo?"

Frost nodded weakly. Korsak noted how the Lieutenant tensed at the name.

"You do realize it is a Federal offense to hack into classified FBI data?" the Assistant Director asked pointedly.

Frost nodded, looking like he had stumbled upon a dismembered body. Korsak frowned and looked at Agent Dean with annoyance for ratting them out. Agent Dean briefly returned his gaze, revealing nothing.

"So what's the story on Marie Largo, who's listed as dead but seems to be standing right . . . ?" Korsak asked directly but was interrupted.

"I'm the one asking the questions here Detective!" Lowery snapped. "You do realize how much trouble you are in, don't you?!"

"Korsak didn't do anything," Frost quickly blurted with concern, his defense of him surprising the older detective. Though, Korsak reconsidered it shouldn't surprise him; Frost was an honest, decent person, even if the squeamish kid had replaced him as Jane's partner. "I was the one who searched for Marie Largo and hacked into the computer."

"Why?" The Assistant Director asked tersely.

"It was a challenge?" Frost lied weakly and looked to the ground. Agent Dean sighed.

"No, I mean how did you know about her alias?"

Frost frowned, glancing at Korsak with concern. He very subtly shook his head no.

"Because I made a mistake," the Lieutenant offered simply, surprising the men. "I should have kept her dead and buried but I didn't," she said, regretting the ease with which she had slipped back into the world of cloaks and daggers to pursue a criminal.

"I saw an opportunity to aid in a murder investigation and I used my Marie Largo alias," she said distastefully, still staring out of the window.

"And I made my detectives very suspicious of their new boss. I had more money than you'd expect for a cop . . . a ready fake name, with business cards already on me," she said with irritation, regretting keeping those damn business cards for "just in case." She should have burned them, she thought, wanting to kick herself because she knew how they could burn her.

"And I was able to quickly bring resources to bear that could only be done through connections that a typical Lieutenant would not have," she vaguely summarized, turning around to eye Frost and Korsak pointedly. "Frankly, in hindsight, I'd be disappointed if Boston's finest didn't question me," she said and looked at the Assistant Director in challenge.

Korsak's respect jumped for the Lieutenant, who was not hanging them out to dry. He guiltily noted the dark circles under her eyes and her exhausted demeanor; he suspected this situation and association with the FBI and "Marie Largo" had taken a heavy toll on her.

"Well?" the Assistant Director asked, glaring at Frost and Korsak.

"She's right. Hell, how many NYPD officers have Aston Martins?" Korsak responded gruffly.

"You'd be surprised, Detective Korsak. Well, before Marie Largo took down the Tarreno and Saluda crime families and the crooked cops on the take," Lowery said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Korsak looked at Frost. Both had heard about the infamous crime families, glad their business had not infected Boston. Both had also heard how widespread the disturbing NYPD connections were. Neither had heard about a Marie Largo or her role in all of it.

"So what now?" Korsak asked uneasily.

"I will confiscate all your files involving Marie Largo," Lowery said firmly. He glanced back at the Lieutenant, whose eyes narrowed, and added awkwardly "and destroy them … and all evidence of Marie Largo from the FBI data base."

"As was already promised, since it was agreed Marie Largo would stay dead and I would never be needed ever again," the Lieutenant said icily. "How do I know you'll actually do it?"

Korsak and Frost both noticed the dynamics in the room suddenly shift as the FBI Assistant Director was now answering to their boss. They looked at each other curiously.

"Are you questioning my integrity?" Lowery blurted, clearly insulted.

The Lieutenant snarled at the Assistant Director. "I would love it, if just for ONCE in my goddamn adult life, I could trust the people I work with! I learned the hard way in the NYPD that trust is a rare commodity for a reason. And the FBI has certainly not earned it - you assholes have broken too many goddamn promises – like the Deputy Director's promise that the fucking Marie Largo records would be destroyed. So excuse the hell out of me for not quite believing you now!"

Korsak really had to fight the smile that wanted to form. If only he was a little younger and she was not married, he considered as the smile formed anyway.

Lowery was turning red with anger.

"I could validate the data is destroyed," Agent Dean interjected helpfully, wanting to diffuse the heated situation.

She looked at him skeptically. "Korsak, Frost," she snapped, glancing to them. "Can I trust Agent Dean to validate the records are all deleted and no copies are made?!"

Her question surprised both men, who immediately said in stereo "Yes, ma'am."

She critically looked at Dean a moment. "All right. I want a call from you when it's done," she said to Agent Dean.

"I'll call," he said simply, prompting a crisp nod of acceptance.

"Fine," Lowery said impatiently. "As for the hacking, I don't see how we can overlook…," he said, glaring at the two detectives.

"As for the hacking allegation," the Lieutenant interrupted. "I don't see how anyone can actually HACK into a database and retrieve information that's not supposed to be there. And if the FBI asserts a hacking occurred, then I look forward to embarrassing the organization and her senior leadership," the Lieutenant said with a smile that was not friendly.

Frost looked curiously over to a happily smiling Korsak, thinking he really should not be enjoying this meeting.

"What? Embarrass them how?" Lowery scoffed.

"You do remember who I'm married to, right?"

Korsak's happy smile faded as Lowery winced.

"You know I have the resources and full support in using them. And you know as well as I do that I don't need to prove anything. A plausible and very public accusation can prompt an investigation that won't stop until they find something. And who knows, they might even find those skeletons no one had the goddamn guts to touch," she spat with disgust.

Lowery paled. "You wouldn't be that vindictive," he said uncertainly, never having expected that from her. She had been the model operative, fiercely loyal to justice being done and willing to do what they had asked, even at her own personal sacrifice.

"You personally caused my family pain, Lowery. Try me."

Korsak looked at Frost then Agent Dean, who shrugged, also not knowing what she meant. But they knew the Lieutenant truly disliked Lowery.

"Fine. You've made your point. If I get your assurances that you and your detectives don't mention this . . . issue, I'll consider this hacking matter closed," Lowery said begrudgingly.

"What issue?" Frost quickly blurted with a weak laugh, receiving several unamused looks.

"We'll keep our mouths shut," Korsak said.

"Very well, the matter is closed," Lowery said tightly.

"Excellent," she said with a thin smile going to her door. "Now, if you Feds don't mind, the Boston PD has some murderers to catch," she said, opening the door for her guests, clearly dismissing them.

Agent Dean nodded and left, followed by Assistant Director Lowery, who glared at her as he left.

Korsak and Frost started to follow the Feds out of the office.

"Not so fast," the Lieutenant said tersely, causing the detectives to halt with a cringe.

**R&I**

As Agent Dean headed to the elevators with Lowery, he spotted Jane and Maura at Jane's desk, noticing how close they stood together.

"If you are free, join me for lunch?" Maura asked hopefully.

Jane cringed. "I'm not sure how long the interviews will last. But I'll try."

"Good," Maura said and automatically kissed her on the lips, which seemed so natural. She froze and looked at Jane with alarm, knowing Crowe was watching them with a displeased cringe at the public display of affection.

Jane just laughed. "See you later, Maura," she said, returning the peck on the lips.

"Okay!" Maura said brightly, stealing a quick caress of Jane's face before heading to the elevators.

Jane watched Maura with a big smile.

"Goddamnit, Rizzoli," Crowe said with disapproval. "Must you bring that gay shit in here?"

"I'd say bite me, Crowe, but only Maura is allowed to do that now," Jane offered with a chuckle, continuing to watch Maura walk. God she was a beautiful woman, Jane thought, watching the alluring sway of hips. Noting Gabriel standing by the elevators with a smile, giving her a small wave, Jane nodded back with a smile.

"Jesus, you'd think we were in Holland with all the dikes around here," he muttered.

"Careful, Crowe, people might think you're jealous," she said, her eyes still on Maura. "I wouldn't blame you if you were," She offered with a smile.

Crowe rolled his eyes and went for a cup of coffee.

Maura joined the two men at the elevators with a pleasant smile.

"Dr. Isles," Agent Dean said, nodding his head politely as he pushed the down button for her.

"Agent Dean," Maura said and looked at the other man with an expectant smile.

"Assistant Director Lowery," he introduced himself as politely as he could, still angry after the encounter he just had.

"She's the medical examiner," Dean supplied.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Lowery said, holding his hand out to shake the elegant hand. This lady was a stark contrast to the woman he just had a meeting with, he considered.

"Likewise. Are you two in town long?" she asked conversationally.

Lowery actually smiled. "No, thankfully."

Maura looked at him curiously.

"We're both going back to DC tonight," Gabe offered. "We resolved what we needed to here," he said, briefly glancing back towards Jane, who was watching Maura unapologetically.

Maura followed his gaze to Jane, who smiled at her. A warm feeling washed over her. She couldn't help but smile back.

As the down elevator doors opened, Agent Dean politely stepped out of the way and put his hand at the door. As she passed, he softly said: "Take care of her."

She turned and looked at him, noting the sincerity in his eyes and facial muscles. "I intend to," she said with a smile.

Jane sighed wistfully when the elevator doors shut and she could no longer see Maura. As she sat down at her desk, Frost and Korsak emerged from the Lieutenant's office, not looking very happy. Each was lugging a big box of files.

"What happened in there?" Jane asked them as they returned to their desks, each placing the boxes down with a heavy thud.

"We're on her shit list," Frost said with a frown.

"It's resolved. Leave it alone," Korsak said gruffly, pushing the box to the corner of his desk.

She looked at him curiously, then over at the elevators where Dean and the other man entered. She frowned; had she not been mooning over Maura, she might have been surprised that the FBI computer hack involved the Boston PD.

"Frost?!" Jane suddenly hissed with concern.

Frost winced.

"It was the Marie Largo search, wasn't it? Did you…?" She asked with a guilty wince, knowing Frost had a gift with computers and could probably get into where he shouldn't.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, he did," Korsak supplied with irritation.

"Shit!" Jane blurted worriedly, glancing around the bullpen after her unintentionally loud outburst, glad she hadn't attracted unwanted attention.

"Agent Dean helped . . . a lot," Frost said with a wince.

Jane absently glanced back at the elevators, grateful Gabe could help her friends.

"Wait a minute, there's actually information to access?" Jane suddenly asked with alarm, hating to think the woman she had grown to respect was actually criminal. But if she was, Dean would have taken her in, she considered. "What's going on with the Lieutenant?" she asked, confused.

"She's good people, Jane. Trust me," Korsak countered with strong conviction. "Now, we've got the interviews in less than an hour to get ready for. Can we drop it, please?" he asked pointedly, forestalling further questioning.

Jane frowned; she did trust Korsak but she also was dying to know what the hell they found out and why they were in the doghouse with the Lieutenant. But she knew they had to focus on the case now, if the murder of Greg Johnston was ever going to be solved.

**R&I**

The electricity throughout the department was palpable as Jane and Frost escorted Gwyneth Johnston to an interrogation room.

"I must say I was curious when I heard of your concern about my well being, Detective. Especially since you aided in my arrest and I stand to serve a few years in prison after my trial," Gwyneth said conversationally. "I don't suppose you have a deal for me," she said silkily, looking over Jane's lean form.

Jane was struck by how calm and collected Gwyneth Johnston was regarding her likely fate.

"No. Sorry. All I have for you is disturbing news about your brother and parents that I believe…shit!" Jane hissed, spotting Korsak, Crowe, and Richard Johnston down the hall.

"What's going on?" Gwyneth said, clearly confused by the detective's reaction and unexpectedly seeing her brother.

"Please, come this way," Jane said anxiously, escorting Gwyneth out of the hallway and towards interrogation room one. "I'm really sorry about this. Those idiots were not supposed to have him here at the same time."

"Detective," Gwyneth said with annoyance.

"Why is she here?" Richard demanded angrily, seeing his sister disappear down the hall with two detectives. "Shouldn't she be in jail or something?"

"Please come with me, Mr. Johnston. Your safety is at stake," Korsak noted gravely, motioning towards an interview room.

"You said that on the phone. Do you really think I am in danger?"

"Please, Mr. Johnston. We can discuss this in a more private setting," Korsak said, looking around the hallway, then at Johnston pointedly.

**R&I**

"Dr. Isles," the Lieutenant said with mild surprise, seeing the medical examiner enter the observation room that stood between the one-way mirrors.

"Would it be all right if I observed?" Maura asked uneasily, motioning to the one-way mirror.

"Do you normally watch interrogations?" The Lieutenant asked curiously.

"Occasionally. I . . . usually watch tapes for my studies with the Facial Action Coding System," she admitted. "But I was interested in Jane's theory," she offered uncomfortably.

"You're welcome to see Rizzoli in action," she said with a small smile. "And your observations might be helpful. Perhaps we'll solve this crime today," she offered with a shrug.

"I certainly hope so. I know Jane . . . and everyone . . . is anxious to get resolution," Maura said.

The Lieutenant nodded with a small smile.

"Have you been getting enough sleep, Lieutenant? The notable darkening of your nasojugal fold indicates significant fatigue," she started pointing to the area.

"Is that a polite way of saying I look like shit, Doctor?" she smirked, startling Maura, who looked alarmed by the Lieutenant's incorrect conclusion. "I'm sorry, Maura. It's been a long week," she offered softly, feeling guilty for teasing the Doctor, who was genuinely concerned. "I have to admit, I'm really looking forward to the weekend."

"Are you looking forward to the banquet tonight, too?" Maura asked.

"Joy," she said flatly with a fake smile.

"You don't like formal gatherings?" Maura asked with surprise.

"You do?" she challenged.

"Not particularly, especially when it involves having to socialize with large groups of people I don't know well," Maura said honestly. "But I do enjoy dressing up," she added enthusiastically with a smile.

The Lieutenant chuckled. "I'd rather have a root canal," she said, surprising the medical examiner. "You have to wear uncomfortable clothes, watch exactly what you say, eat fancy food without spilling anything on yourself, laugh at really stupid jokes from people who think they are funny, and if there is dancing – God help you. Everyone is staring, hoping to see you make a fool of yourself, so they have something to gossip about until the next pompous spectacle," she said, shaking her head, then looked at Maura and plastered on a fake smile. "Can't think of anything I'd rather do!" she suddenly said with faux enthusiasm.

Maura looked at her a thoughtful moment. "Have you ever actually had a root canal?" Maura asked curiously.

"No," the Lieutenant admitted, rolling her eyes at Maura's satisfied smile and look. "Point taken, Doctor," she begrudgingly allowed, making Maura's smile broader.

"New dress and shoes?" the Lieutenant asked, glancing over her current elegant outfit, already knowing the answer.

"Of course," Maura beamed.

"Of course," she chuckled.

**R&I**

Korsak and Crowe sat in the room with Richard Johnston. "Would you please tell me why you needed to speak with me?" he said testily.

"Well, we believe you are in danger," Korsak said, opening up his folder.

"You already said that. From whom?"

"From your sister," Crowe offered.

Richard laughed with amusement that faded when he realized Korsak and Crowe were dead serious.

**R&I**

"This is becoming tedious," Gwyneth said tiredly as she was escorted to her seat, which Frost politely pulled out for her with a smile. She sighed and nodded thanks to him; at least he was polite, she considered.

"I am sorry," Jane said with an apologetic smile as she sat across from her.

Gwyneth leaned forward and looked her over. "You are a very beautiful woman, Detective Rizzoli. It's a shame we didn't meet before my arrest," she said silkily, looking into Jane's brown eyes.

Frost looked at Jane uncomfortably.

**R&I**

The Lieutenant briefly glanced over to Maura curiously, concluding that it didn't take extensive training in the Facial Action Coding System to know she was not pleased. She frowned, knowing Jane was unaware of Maura's presence and could inadvertently make things more uncomfortable, depending on how she was going to play this.

Before she could say anything to help ease Maura's discomfort, Jane spoke.

**R&I**

Jane looked at Gwyneth and smiled. "Thanks. But if you want to see a truly beautiful woman, you should see our medical examiner. Drop dead gorgeous," she said, softly chuckling to herself. Seeing Gwyneth eye her curiously, she pointed to Frost. "Ask him."

Frost looked at her oddly before silently nodding.

**R&I**

Maura was warmed by the unexpected compliment, which made her want to hug her. Feeling the Lieutenant's eyes on her, she glanced over uncomfortably to find her just staring at the one-way mirror, with a slight smile on her face.

**R&I**

"I'm afraid we need to move on to more unpleasant things and discuss the information we learned about your parents' and brother's death. I think your life is in very real danger," Jane said.

"How?" Gwyneth said with an air of boredom, looking at her manicured hand.

**R&I**

"You can't be serious," Richard scoffed.

"I'm afraid I am. And while she is likely to get 5 to 10 after her trial…." Korsak said.

"As little as one to three, with good behavior," Crowe interjected with a frown and added with a wince "she'll be out in no time."

"But she may not wait and get help while in jail," Korsak said.

"Good point," Crowe said, walking behind Richard and leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He certainly knew how to make people uncomfortable. "She'd have a good alibi."

"May not wait for what? What help? Alibi? What the hell are you talking about?" Richard spat in confusion, turning back in his chair to Crowe, then forward to Korsak.

"Let me explain. As you already know, she was co-beneficiary with you to Greg Johnston's life insurance policy," Korsak said.

"Poor guy, he was dying of cancer when she took him out," Crowe said shaking his head.

"You think she actually killed Greg for insurance money, when we could have just waited for him to die?" Richard said with amusement. "He was never a healthy child. Why do you think we took out a policy?"

"Your sister denied having anything to do with that policy," Korsak said.

Richard laughed. "Of course she did. She never liked the optics of profiting on Greg's death. But she paid her half of the premiums."

"The premiums must have been exorbitant," Crowe said.

"They were relatively high, but the insurance company doctor was not very good and I calculated the cost-benefit and expected lifespan and saw it was a win," Richard said with a shrug. "Easy money."

Korsak thought he had heard it all. Even Crowe shook his head with disgust.

"But in the end, none of us got any money because it was ruled a murder! Why would Gwyneth risk herself and the money and not wait?" Richard said.

**R&I**

"As you know, you and your brother Richard are listed as co-beneficiaries to your brother Greg's life insurance policy."

Gwyneth looked at her silently.

"And Greg was murdered," Jane said.

"Which voids any claim to the insurance. Surely you don't think Richard would be that stupid as to risk his freedom and a payout by killing Greg? My brother was already dying. And I already told you people, I cannot believe Richard would do anything to Greg. Richard is an ass, but that makes no sense," Gwyneth scoffed.

"Well, perhaps not to you. You don't seem to be the kind of woman who lets her emotions rule her decisions and you certainly don't appear desperate, even facing incarceration," Jane offered, spotting a bit of pride from that observation.

"You're saying Richard is so desperate for money, that he would kill Greg?"

"I don't know how closely you follow his finances," Jane said.

"I don't. We don't speak often and when we do, it is at the standard family holidays. He's a boring conversationalist," Gwyneth said tiredly.

"So you don't know his companies are failing?" Jane asked, getting a look of mild interest. "He was likely headed to bankruptcy. Certainly not in a position to continue paying high premiums on an insurance policy."

"I was unaware," she allowed, glancing down thoughtfully.

**R&I**

Korsak frowned. "Well, did you know she was in serious debt?"

"No," Richard said with a frown. "We rarely talk."

"Perhaps she had to cover a few bad bets?" Korsak suggested.

"And those insurance premiums," Crowe added helpfully.

"Maybe she gambled that she could benefit from his lifetime of poor health to make it look like natural causes," Korsak said.

Richard frowned as he considered that theory.

"And we believe it was not the first time she had relied on insurance money. She blew through the payout from your parents' death," Korsak said. "And when she needed more, why not pursue another insurance scam?"

"Are you suggesting she killed our parents?" Richard asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Their deaths were investigated and ruled an accident."

"Some new information on the circumstances of their death surfaced, which would imply it wasn't an accident," Crowe offered, eyeing the suspect.

"New information?" Richard asked uneasily, shifting in his seat back to the detective. "Would you please stand somewhere else than behind me?" he blurted testily.

"Oh, sure," Crowe said, pushing off the wall and standing off to the side, not directly behind him, still requiring Richard to shift in his seat to see him.

"The detective in charge of the case?" Korsak said. "Detective Simmons? He was arrested two years ago…for taking bribes. His cases are all under review. Unfortunately, he died in jail so we were unable to question him. But your parent's accident has been bumped to the front of the reinvestigations based on our concerns about your safety," Korsak said.

"My safety?" Richard said, looking between the two men.

**R&I**

"And recent information about your parents' accident investigating office has reopened the case," Jane offered.

"Excuse me?" Gwyneth said, showing a bit of unease before she sat back and looked nonchalant.

"Well, Detective Simmons was arrested for taking bribes. Unfortunately, he died in prison before we could question him about what he was involved with," Frost said.

"But your parent's accident has been given top priority due to our concern for your safety," Jane said.

"What makes you think I'm in danger?" Gwyneth said hesitantly.

**R&I**

Korsak pushed the package of paper towards him. "She is the sole beneficiary of the life insurance policy taken out on you."

Richard's eyes widened in surprise.

"That bitch!"

**R&I**

Jane winced. "I'm sorry to have to show you this but," she said sympathetically and pushed the package of paper towards her. "Richard is the sole beneficiary of the life insurance policy taken out on you."

Gwyneth's eyes widened in surprise.

"That bastard!"

**R&I**

"If you have anything that could connect Ms. Johnston to the planning of your parent's accident, it might very well save your life, Mr. Johnston." Korsak said with concern, pushing a small tape recorder towards him.

"I'm sorry we couldn't save Greg. Don't let her get away with another murder," Crowe said gravely.

Richard looked at them. "Do you really think she killed my little brother?" he asked softly, with surprising sincerity.

Korsak blinked, not expecting his question or sincerity. His face turned hard and he nodded, turning on the tape recorder.

"Gwyneth never got along with our parents…" Richard said, fingering his collar.

**R&I**

The Lieutenant frowned and focused back on the Rizzoli interview.

**R&I**

"If you can tell us anything that could connect Richard Johnston to the planning of your parent's accident, it might save your life. As of right now, we cannot book him and we don't have enough evidence to provide you police protection. I'm confident there is evidence of foul play, but if we don't act quickly, it may be too late," she said looking at her with concern, and pushed a recording device towards her.

"Your only crime is illegal fighting. Not murder. Don't let him get away with it. Don't be his fourth victim," Jane said.

Gwyneth looked at Jane. "Do you really think he killed Greg?" she asked sadly.

Jane fought to school her surprise and nodded.

"All right," she said wearily and Jane nodded, turning on the recorder. "Richard would always argue with our parents over our allowance…."

**R&I**

"Ah crap," the Lieutenant groused softly.

"Neither of them killed Greg Johnston," Maura noted curiously, getting a weary look.

* * *

TBC


	12. Chapter 12 Loose Ends

**FF: Facts, Just the Facts (CH 12)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Loose Ends**

Back in the bullpen, the Detectives regrouped after the brother and sister provided enough information for their arrest for planning their parents' murder.

Maura stood quietly, finding the whole brainstorming process quite fascinating. While she dealt only in hard evidence to draw her conclusions, Jane and the other detectives approached a problem with theories, based on sometimes disturbingly little information, which would then give them a direction to look to find their evidence. Although she had spent much more time with Jane than the others, Maura still believed Jane was truly the most creative, which made her so successful in her profession. It truly baffled her how Jane could so easily dismiss her intellectual gift and put herself down. It was most a most aggravating trait, Maura considered.

"That family is one twisted lot," Korsak said, shaking his head looking at his notes.

"Kind of makes you think Greg's better off as worm food," Crowe blurted, leaning back in his chair, getting a bunch of glares. "What?"

"Ah jeeze Crowe, respect the dead will yah?" Korsak blurted with disapproval.

"I'm just sayin…"

Knowing it was better to just ignore Crowe, the Lieutenant commented on their lack of leads with irritation. "Well, so far, we've managed to stop the sister's fight club and solve the parents' murder but not the murder of the guy on the bike who was already dying of cancer."

The Lieutenant shook her head, feeling the same frustration as the rest of the detectives.

Jane looked curiously at the Lieutenant; the words "already dying of cancer" had always held some significance, though she did not know why.

Her eyes, unfocused, moved about as she attempted to bring some order to the chaos of facts that jumbled around her head.

Witnessing Jane battling the tendrils of apparently unrelated thoughts to connect them, weave them, into a plausible theory, Maura felt great anticipation. It was incredibly fascinating and to her surprise…highly arousing.

"Frost, when were the insurance policies for the brother and sister issued?" Rizzoli asked, glancing over to him.

Frost looked at her a curious moment before diving into his file. "Both . . . about two weeks before Greg Johnston's death," he said with mild surprise. "Interesting," he offered.

It was, Maura agreed as she watched Jane closely, feeling her anticipation grow. If they were going to cash in on his illness, it was an interesting coincidence they both took out policies at essentially the same time, prior to their brother's death.

"And each sibling denied taking out a policy on the other?"

"Yep," Korsak answered. "Of course they're not exactly truthful individuals."

"What companies issued them?" Rizzoli asked.

Why would it matter, Maura wondered excitedly.

"Boston Mutual and Mass. Financial Corporation, why?" Frost said, looking at Jane frown.

Maura looked at her worriedly, wondering why that made her frown.

"That's the same company, Rizzoli," Crowe offered, getting surprised looks, which really irritated him. He knew things too, damn it. "MFC is the parent company and issues different financial products from that parent and subsidiaries."

"Can we find out where the money to pay for the policies came from?" Jane asked.

"I'll look," Frost said, tapping on his keyboard to start the search as Jane nodded with satisfaction, tucking an unruly strand of hair behind her ear

Maura's gaze followed her long fingers as she struggled to not derail Jane's train of thought with her plentiful questions. She recalled Jane saying the money trail was something that criminals usually left behind, regardless of how careful they were. But how did that fit within the context of the known set of facts and Jane's current line of thinking, she wondered, feeling as if the seemingly disconnected questions were deliberately designed to arouse her curiosity and tease her intellect, until the facts would culminate, building upon each other, until climaxing with a very gratifying discovery.

"Maura?" Jane asked.

"Yes, Jane?" she answered enthusiastically, aching to help Jane. Almost too enthusiastically, she realized with an uncomfortable smile, given the looks she received.

Crowe rolled his eyes, wondering why the doctor, who was a true class act, would ever hook up with someone like Jane Rizzoli.

"How painful is dying from the cancer he had?" Jane asked.

"Well, most people would be heavily sedated because of the pain," Maura readily offered.

"So quality of life wouldn't be good in the last few months?" Jane asked.

"No. Not at all," Maura said, realizing what Jane was nibbling around as the Lieutenant voiced the question before she could.

"You think he arranged his own death?" the Lieutenant asked with interest, getting Jane to look at her and nod.

From her review of Greg Johnston's medical record, it was not unreasonable to believe he was not interested in continuing to live a life that was full of pain and disability, or under heavy sedation where he would not be cognizant of his surroundings, Maura considered, eager for Jane to continue.

"To set up his siblings?" Korsak offered, getting another nod from Rizzoli.

Maura looked at Jane, desperately wishing she would stop nodding and just explain, but bit her lip.

"All right, Rizzoli, walk us through it," the Lieutenant said and leaned on the edge of Frost's desk with her arms crossed over her chest.

Maura sighed with great relief, silently thanking the Lieutenant.

"Suppose . . . Greg somehow learned his siblings had taken an insurance policy out on him, banking on his ill health to be financially beneficial to them. He knew they had already benefited from the death of their parents from the healthy payout from that insurance policy," Jane said, getting up from her chair.

"He also knew that Richard and Gwyneth were not close to their parents and had many heated arguments over money," she said, starting to pace as she explained. "Each were upset with their parents putting them on strict allowances when they could easily afford to give them much more," Jane added, continuing to pace.

Maura watched with great interest, noting the fire in Jane's dark eyes as she spun her theory. A fire similar to what she had witnessed in the bedroom. Maura swallowed, recalling that passion.

"And of course, they were not happy most of their Johnston fortune would not be their inheritance but instead given to charity upon their parents' death. So, what if Greg concluded that his parents' accident might not have been accidental. Faulty breaks on a well-maintained Rolls Royce?" Jane said with a shrug, looking at Frost, who shook his head, agreeing that was unlikely.

Her bearing and command of the room was simply . . . mesmerizing, Maura considered.

"He realized that didn't make any sense and started to believe his brother and sister conspired to kill their parents for that insurance payout. Without hard evidence, he couldn't just turn them in because they might retaliate," Jane explained, gesturing with her hands.

As the Italian detective was prone to do, Maura thought, once again admiring her long, elegant fingers that were not surprisingly, very skillful.

"So he set up his murder near what he was convinced was the end of his life anyway, to start an investigation that might lead to his parents' case," Jane continued.

"But why would he expose them?" Frost asked. "From our interviews and confessions, it seemed that Greg genuinely cared for his brother and sister, and they cared for him. They never had any indication of animosity from him, which you might think they'd pick up on if he was angry for their actions," Frost said with a cringe.

"Tell us about death-bed confessions, Maura," Jane said with a smile, turning to Maura, who was staring intently at her hands, lost in thought. "Maura?"

"Confessions?" Maura blurted uneasily, startled from her private thoughts, which she had no intention of confessing to anyone in the room, save Jane, which would happen later . . . in private.

"Deathbed confessions, tell us about them," Jane said, noticing the familiar flush with interest.

"Of course," Maura said, taking a deep breath as she refocused on a comfortable task - launching into an explanation.

"There are several studies of death-bed confessions. Psychologists believe when a person's own mortality is faced, they are more likely to be driven by their guilty conscience, needing to make amends. Of course, there are several religious implications. The Talmud, for example, encourages confession when someone falls sick and their life is in danger, with some believing that the merit of the confession may actually allow them to live. A common religious belief is that confession will assure the dying a place in the afterlife or in that religion's world to come," Maura happily offered, getting a smile from Jane.

"So Johnston was a Jew?" Crowe asked, confused. "He didn't look Jewish," he offered, looking around to see if others agreed with him. "What?" he bristled at their stares.

It was truly amazing how much she wanted to hit Crowe right now, the Lieutenant thought, though she realized that after her morning drama with the FBI, she really just wanted to hit something. Perhaps she could go to the gym later and pommel the bag . . . before the goddamn benefit, she considered with heavy sigh, realizing that was unlikely.

"Crowe, it doesn't matter what religion he is, was," Frost blurted with annoyance.

"Death bed confessions have occurred even with agnostics and atheists," Maura supplied helpfully.

"But we're still back where we started. Even if we think Greg Johnston set up his own murder. Who threw the shuriken?" Korsak said.

"Lieutenant?" Rizzoli said with great anticipation, seeing the dawning of comprehension on her boss' face.

**R&I**

Maura opened the evidence locker and pulled out the plastic bag with the shuriken. Turning, she found Jane stepping closer to her.

"You looked a little flushed in there, Doctor. Are you coming down with a fever or something?" Jane asked innocently. Though she could not pull off the innocent air with that knowing smirk on her face.

"Jane," Maura growled, though she didn't mind the fact Jane hands were now on her hips, slowly pulling them together. "You know very well what I was responding to, which concerns me about my ability to focus with you being so . . . so," Maura said, at a loss to describe Jane.

"Soooo?" Jane asked with amusement, never having known anyone she could sexually fluster. Well, there was Ronny Galliano from high school, but that was high school and Ronny was flustered by suggestive magazine ads.

Maura frowned and punched her in the shoulder.

"Hey!" Jane protested with a laugh.

"Here I am, all worked up – because of you - and you laugh at me," Maura complained.

Jane looked at her a moment. "Maura, being in love is new to me too, you know," she said honestly. "It's . . . overwhelming."

Maura gazed into her sincere eyes. "But you seem to be able to focus better," she lamented.

"I don't know about that," Jane responded skeptically, thinking about the location of her head the past few weeks, which the Lieutenant so eloquently pointed out.

"I do. You were brilliant in the interview room and in the bull pen," Maura offered, excitement returning to her eyes.

"Brilliant?" Jane scoffed with an unbelieving smirk that faded under the stern look Maura gave her daring her to argue - and the other words catching up. "Uh, you . . . watched the interview?" she asked uneasily.

"Yes. I found myself needing to see you again," Maura offered, making Jane smile. "It was just an added bonus to see you in your element," she said honestly. "Even if Gwyneth Johnston was not very subtle in her interest in you," she added with a slight grimace.

"She's not my type," Jane immediately responded.

"What is your type?" Maura asked coyly, running a hand along Jane's arm.

"A law abiding citizen, for one," Jane said confidently with a smile, slowly leaning in for a kiss.

"I am one," Maura readily offered, pulling back slightly. "I have never even gotten a parking or speeding ticket."

"That is so. Damn. Hot," Jane said with a smile, leaning in for a kiss.

"You stated, for one, indicating other criteria. What other criteria?" Maura asked, causing Jane to pause.

"Well, this could be a deal breaker. She should have a large pet turtle," Jane said.

"Oh no. I have a large pet tortoise," Maura said with a frown.

"Close enough," Jane blurted and kissed her, before Maura could further question her criteria.

Maura's hand slipped behind Jane's neck as the kiss deepened.

"Rizzoli!" the Lieutenant barked from the doorway, causing the two women to jump back from each other. "Frost found the money trail. Let's go!" she said, noting the blush on their faces. Shaking her head, she headed towards her car.

Maura gave her the bag with the shuriken, her hand covering Jane's. "You'll be careful?" Maura said softly.

"I intend to be," Jane said with a smile.

"Rizzoli!"

"Right behind you, Lieutenant," Jane called out and leaned in to kiss Maura. "You have the best lips of any medical examiner, ever," she said with a grin. "Yep. Definitely. THE best lips," she blurted before darting out to catch up to her boss.

Maura chuckled as she watched Jane leave. Her smile faded as she thought about what the basis of Jane's conclusion was.

**R&I**

As Jane buckled up in the Aston Martin, she grinned. "I'm happy to report that my head has been successfully extricated from my ass."

The Lieutenant looked over at her a moment and smiled. "Be careful about the PDA at work, OK?"

Jane looked at her uncomfortably, but knew it wasn't a reprimand but a friendly caution. "Gotchya, boss."

The Lieutenant chuckled quietly as she drove out of the police parking lot.

**R&I**

Pulling up to the Johnston's Martial Arts school, Jane could see the male instructor they previously spoke to through the large window.

Unlike the last time they visited, their badges and weapons were clearly on display, their authority unmistakable. Jane actually preferred carrying her badge and weapon. When she was undercover, she felt rather naked without them. The Lieutenant, on the other hand, seemed comfortable either way she noted.

The muscular man in a black gi looked up from the front counter, surprised by their gold badges when they entered the school. He looked between the two women guardedly.

"Hi, Bob," the Lieutenant said with a smile. She looked at Jane and nodded, prompting Jane to pull out the spherical shuriken from her pocket and silently toss it to the man. He caught it, looking between the two women nervously.

"I hope you enjoyed spending that quarter mil. Cause there's not a whole lot of things to buy in the slammer."

His eyes widened in panic as he turned to escape. He grabbed the antique gumball machine, throwing it down. Impacting the floor, the glass shattered, causing hundreds of gumballs to scatter, loudly bouncing across the hard wood floor as he darted to the back.

The Lieutenant motioned for Jane to go out the front door as she chased after him through the school.

"Fuck," she growled, her foot sliding on an errant gumball. With an awkward twist of her back, she managed to recover her balance to resume the chase, careful to avoid the colorful gauntlet of small round obstacles with another growled "fuck."

Jane ran around the building and sprinted to the alley, where Korsak and Frost were. "He's coming!" Jane shouted as they saw the man quickly emerge from the back door.

"Freeze!" Korsak and Frost shouted as all three pulled their weapons on him, causing him to skid to a stop.

Ignoring the command, he abruptly double backed, into the school.

The Lieutenant's eyes widened when the man came barreling towards her. She reached for her gun but couldn't draw, having to block and avoid the flurry of impressive kicks and punches thrown at her. Bob was relentless, not giving her an opportunity to draw her weapon; it was all she could do to not get pummeled.

Frost sprinted into the school from the front as Jane and Korsak followed the suspect from the back. They all watched as the Lieutenant dodged and blocked the black belt's kicks and punches with surprising skill.

Though she did not punch or kick back, Jane noted.

"Should we shoot him?" Frost asked Jane, who frowned.

"NO!" The Lieutenant shouted as she blocked a kick to her head. "Paper work!"

"Maybe we should start carrying tasers," Korsak said with a smile, watching the Lieutenant continue to engage the suspect with great enjoyment.

Finally, Bob hesitated in his attack; his foot landed on a pink gumball and slipped. Seeing her opening, the Lieutenant elbowed him in the face with great force. As his head snapped back, she quickly drove her heal into his knee, causing a crunch. Her form wasn't as elegant or flashy, but it was certainly effective.

Bob cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor, grabbing his knee.

"Eeeew," Frost said as Korsak gravely said "Oh," and Jane winced.

"A little help here?" she said clearly winded, kneeling down the cuff the man. "I'm not getting any younger," she growled as she stood with a groan, her hand at her back.

**R&I**

"You ok?" Jane asked as they returned to the Aston Martin, noticing the Lieutenant rubbing her lower back and walking gingerly.

"You drive," she said with a wince, handing over the keys.

Jane looked down to the keys curiously then suddenly up in alarm. "Did he kick your head?!"

"No," she responded testily. "I don't want to aggravate my back, which the manual transmission is likely to do."

"Oh. OK!" Jane said happily, going to the driver's side.

As they buckled up, the Lieutenant shook her head with a grimace. "Goddamn gumballs."

Jane chuckled and started the car, which purred. She sighed happily, hoping Maura would understand that she had a new love.

"Good work, Rizzoli."

Jane glanced at her boss with surprise before a very pleased smile formed.

"Now try not to crash my car, will yah?"

* * *

TBC...


	13. Chapter 13 Policeman's Benefit

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 13)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 13 – Policeman's Benefit**

The Lieutenant arrived at the Marriott, late, alone and with a frown. She fingered at her starched collar, which was irritating her neck, just like her old NYPD uniform. She hated dressing up for these things. But at least she didn't have to worry about what to wear. Though she did have to find her damn shoes, she considered, looking down at the shiny black oxfords. She frowned at the brand-new pair she didn't remember getting. She had searched the logical places to no avail for her favorite pair, which were nicely worn-in and didn't kill her feet. Already late, she did not have time to continue to look through her still partially unpacked house.

Glancing around the Grand Ball room, she noted it looked basically like every other hotel banquet hall used for functions she attended with the NYPD. There were several round tables surrounding the center dance floor and a stage set up with music stands and chairs, apparently for live music later. Great, she considered warily, knowing she'd be expected to dance - and in her shiny new shoes. She hoped the buffet was decent; from the lines already formed and the hotel staff already refilling several offerings, it seemed like there was a good chance.

Her gaze sought and found the bar.

Beer, her mind chanted as she made her way through a crowd of civil servants, from clerks to elected officials including the mayor, and police officers, ranging from patrolman to the Chief himself. She knew as a Lieutenant, she was expected to be social and mingle. After a beer, or twelve, she promised herself. Her trip was only interrupted four times by a few friendly politicians, who were not really interested in her, only her position and influence. She smiled tightly and tried to be as polite as she could, considering the inane small talk. "How do you like Boston?" was the most common question. How the hell was she supposed to know after a week of work that had her up to her eyeballs in paperwork?!

It still amazed her to think anyone would consider her, a poor kid from the Bronx, influential. Though she did marry well, she considered with a smirk, glancing at her watch, expecting her cavalry to arrive very soon.

"Hey, Lieutenant," Korsak said with a smile at the bar, already with a beer in hand.

"I like your thinking, Korsak," she said, looking pointedly to his beer, which he raised in salute.

"Makes the evening tolerable," he said, taking a sip.

"I hear yah. I was hoping the Policemen's Benefits were only a cruel New York City tradition," she said, motioning to the busy bartender to get her a beer.

"Unfortunately, that cruel tradition is everywhere," Korsak noted with a frown.

"Lieutenant, how's the back?" Jane asked as she joined them.

"Stiff. But the icepack helped. I'm glad Dr. Isles is equipped to help the living too," she said, getting a smile from Jane.

"Beer and white wine, please," Jane ordered as the Lieutenant received her beer from the bartender.

"House white?" The bartender asked, getting a perplexed look from Jane.

"What is it?" the Lieutenant asked.

The bartender hesitantly said "Inglenook?" causing her to grimace and him to shrug.

"Do you have a 2006 Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuissé?" the Lieutenant asked.

"We have 2008, will that be OK?" he asked, looking at Jane and the Lieutenant.

Korsak sipped his beer and watched Jane shrug helplessly.

"All right," the Lieutenant said, making a command decision.

"Coming right up," the bartender said with a smile and left to retrieve the wine.

"If it sucks, I'm blaming you," Jane said, getting the Lieutenant to laugh.

"Fair enough. The thing about house wine is that it's a crapshoot. Some hotels pride themselves with the selection; others don't give a shit and happily serve crap. Ask what it is. If it is something you never heard of or are not too thrilled about, ask for something you know and like and can pronounce with confidence. You really don't have to take out a mortgage to get a really good wine. That 2008 Louis Jadot? I have no idea if it is noticeably better than the 2006 but the French winery produces quality, affordable wine. About 20 to 25 bucks a bottle at the store. And it's French, which by itself usually impresses people."

"Yes, sensei," Jane joked, glancing at her then Korsak, who shrugged, only knowing what beer he liked.

The Lieutenant looked at Jane, suspecting she had no idea what mine field she had just walked into with Dr. Isles' wealth. The class difference was not something easily overcome. Too many emotions and too much pride made the differences in class very difficult. She knew she had almost ruined the best thing that ever happened to her due to her stupid pride.

"Where's your husband?" Korsak asked as the bartender came back with the glass of Louis Jadot and bottle of beer for Jane.

Jane looked at her curiously. In an unusual bout of speculation, Maura had guessed the Lieutenant was gay, though there was never really any proof.

The Lieutenant smiled thinly. "That's something my mother has been asking me for twenty years," she said wryly, getting a confused look from Korsak, who really hoped this guy was not an inattentive jerk to this impressive woman.

Jane smirked.

"Should be here soon," she added vaguely and took a sip of her beer. "Had a business meeting in New York City this afternoon to wrap things up before the final move to Boston."

"So you've been a geographic bachelorette since you got here?" Korsak asked curiously.

"Yeah. It pretty much sucks," she said, getting sympathetic nods from Korsak and Jane.

"Come on, let's head to our tables. Maura is waiting," Jane said, motioning to the tables with her head, her hands full with drinks.

"Can't have that," Korsak said with a chuckle, sipping his beer as he and the Lieutenant followed Jane. Across from Maura, Frost and his date, Nina, sat. At an adjacent table, Crowe was seated with his date, Terri.

Returning to Maura's side, Jane presented her with the wine, receiving a bright smile.

Maura sipped her drink as Jane sat. "It's very good," she noted with surprise.

"You didn't think I'd just go blindly order the house wine, did you?" Jane said, glancing to the Lieutenant, who rolled her eyes and sipped her beer.

Maura looked at her a thoughtful moment, then simply smiled without answering. "Thank you," she said instead, leaning forward to give Jane a peck on the lips. Jane smiled and took her hand in hers.

"Oh God," Crowe muttered, shaking his head. His date, Terri, looked at him curiously and asked "what?" He continued to shake his head.

"Uh, Jane, you have something you want to tell us?" Korsak said curiously, getting a nod from Frost, who was equally surprised by the new development.

"Hmm?" Jane said, smiling at Maura, who grinned.

"Well, detectives don't normally go around kissing medical examiners," Korsak offered.

"Technically, Vince, the medical examiner kissed the detective," Maura pointed out, briefly glancing at him before returning her gaze to Jane.

"Very good point, Dr. Isles," Jane said, getting a smile.

"Accuracy is important, you know," Maura said.

"As I've been told. By you, in fact. So, to help out Vince with his accuracy…." Jane said and planted a kiss on Maura's lips.

"Okay, okay. You're "together" together now. Not just best friends. Got it," Korsak said and shrugged, sipping his beer.

"Makes sense to me," Frost said warmly, earning an affectionate hug from his date and a smile from his partner and Maura.

"They do make a nice couple, don't they?" Terri said to Crowe, who groaned.

"Dr. Isles, you look very beautiful tonight. Your dress is . . . stunning," the Lieutenant said warmly.

Jane smiled in agreement, glancing over Maura's emerald dress and perfectly matching shoes once again.

"Care to guess the designer?" Maura asked the Lieutenant with a grin.

"JC Penny?" Jane ventured, getting a glare from Maura. Frost and Korsak chuckled. "What?" Jane said innocently, but once again ruined any illusion of innocence with her amused smirk.

"I'm afraid I'm not really good at that. Unless it's Chanel, for some reason."

"Really?" Maura said with surprise. "But you always dress so nicely in tailored designer clothes."

"Not because I have any sense of style. I prefer jeans and a sweatshirt, actually."

Maura frowned as Jane smiled broadly.

"Nothing wrong with jeans and a sweatshirt," Jane offered, adding helpfully "And you can get them at JC Penny."

"Yeah. But if your significant other nags you to wear something better, you have a choice to make, Rizzoli. More nagging or . . . peace and quiet," the Lieutenant said knowingly, sipping her beer.

Jane frowned. Maura smiled and patted Jane's hand, already planning Jane's wardrobe improvements.

Korsak chuckled and sipped his beer. Yep. They are "together" together.

After a few moments, the Lieutenant looked at her watch with a frown then reached for her cell, looking at it curiously.

"Reception is lousy in the building," Frost offered. "That's why we check our phones at the front."

"Aw crap," the Lieutenant said worriedly. She shot up from her seat and bolted to the front doors. As soon as she got close to entrance, her phone rang. She winced at the familiar ring tone, "As you wish," from the Princess Bride, and opened up her cell.

"Where . . . ?" she said and looked stricken. "The curb! Shit! Sorry. I'll be right there!"

**R&I**

"I am so sorry," the Lieutenant blurted guiltily when she opened the limousine door and held out her hand, which a beautiful blond in her mid-forties took. As she emerged from the limo, she eyed the Lieutenant.

"I know you hate these things, but really, Jo," she said in disapproval. "Did you honestly think I'd just give up and go home?"

"I didn't know the cell phone reception was so bad in there," she said defensively. "I would never have left you waiting at the curb, Princess," Jo said sincerely. "I know that wouldn't have worked - you are too stubborn to leave," she added with a smirk.

"I almost came inside alone," Blair said with a frown.

"I'm very glad you waited. I want you on my arm, so there is no question who the most beautiful woman is with," Jo said firmly.

"You always manage to say the right things," Blair said with a happy sigh.

"Manage?"

"I've missed you so much, Jo," she said simply, wrapping her arms around her wife and hugging her tightly.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you too," Jo whispered fervently into her ear, pulling back and kissing her soundly.

After the kiss, Blair chuckled. "I think I have some idea," she said with a happy sigh, caressing Jo's cheek tenderly. "Of course, I need to fix my lipstick now," Blair suddenly grumbled, diving into her clutch for her mirror and lipstick.

"Maybe . . . we could just go home," Jo suggested hopefully, holding the small mirror handed to her. "You look so good," she said, glancing her wife over.

"Oooh no," Blair countered, opening up her lipstick and applying it as she looked in the mirror. "I moved Heaven and Earth," she said, smacking her lips together. "Perfect," she said with satisfaction, taking the mirror back and returning it and the lipstick to her small handbag. "Not to mention a few crotchety board members, to be here. I am going to meet and greet everyone who is important to your career," she announced firmly, closing her clutch.

"I don't care about…mfpht," Jo protested, her lips silenced by two firm fingers.

"Well I care," Blair responded, then frowned at the lipstick smudged on Jo's mouth and wiped it off. Jo rolled her eyes but didn't stop her wife.

"You have worked so hard, Jo, and I will not be denied the pleasure of being your proud, doting wife," Blair said with conviction, picking a piece of lint off her impressive uniform, before straightening her tie.

Jo looked at her guiltily. "I haven't exactly been open about myself. Several detectives are expecting a husband to show up and I didn't correct them."

Blair eyed her wife and tenderly caressed her cheek again, knowing how hard it was for Jo at work in the beginning of their relationship, and after everything they had been through, how hard it was for her to trust anyone.

Jo shut her eyes briefly and leaned into the warm touch, something that always seemed to give her strength.

"Well… I think it's about time they found out who you belong to, don't you?" She said with a winning smile.

"After meeting you, I'm sure there won't be any confusion," Jo said with amusement.

"I should hope not."

Jo smiled and tried to kiss Blair on the lips but got her cheek this time.

"JO!" Blair said with exasperation. "I can't go in with smudged makeup!"

"You don't have to. We could just ditch this thing and…" Jo suggested again but was interrupted.

"Jo! You are going in there and you are going to enjoy yourself," Blair said firmly.

Jo sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win this argument and held out her arm, which Blair smoothly took with a bright smile.

"It won't be that bad," Blair said in a consoling voice, patting her forearm.

"Uh huh," Jo said flatly.

"You know, that color lipstick . . . ," Blair suggested, eyeing her wife with an amused smile.

"No," she interjected firmly.

". . . actually would look good on you," Blair continued innocently.

"The only way I'm wearing lipstick is if it's a smudge from your lips," Jo said with a smirk.

"Hmmm."

**R&I**

Maura, Jane and the rest of the homicide unit watched as the Lieutenant returned, making quite the entrance with a stunning woman on her arm.

Her wife, Maura noted absently, taking in her stylish ensemble with great interest. The blond wore a strapless black dress with a black shrug, which tastefully accentuated her ample cleavage. An exquisite black and gold weave, found on her shoes, clutch, and thick belt, tastefully accented the black, providing a subtle shimmer of gold. Her jewelry was delightfully simple, gold ball earrings, a gold pendant necklace and fine gold chain bracelet, along with her wedding band and diamond ring. Even her hair was in keeping with the gold and black theme; her blond locks falling shoulder length and styled to frame her radiant face. It was clear she was dressed to impress and she certainly did. It was a truly wonderful ensemble, Maura smiled.

"Jesus," Crowe muttered to his date. "We're in Holland, I'm telling you."

Traci frowned. "We're in Boston, sweetie," she said helpfully.

Korsak took a long look at the new arrival and sipped his beer. He had to admit the Lieutenant had great taste.

"Wow," Jane said, drawing Maura's attention from the couple. "She's gotta be the second most beautiful woman here."

Maura looked at her lovingly. "I agree."

Jane glanced at Maura and shook her head. "Everyone here knows you're first Maura," she said sincerely.

"Well, I have to say, you have greatly improved on your sweet-talking," Maura said, causing Jane to chuckle.

"So, do you think I can coax you into doing what I want tonight?" Jane asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"I believe you have a high probability of success, Detective," Maura said, sipping her wine.

"Excellent," Jane said happily.

Their gazes returned to the Lieutenant and her wife, who navigated the throng of politicians and police brass.

Maura watched the couple with great interest. What impressed her more than her impeccable ensemble was how effortlessly the Lieutenant's wife engaged people. She closely watched the fluidity of her gestures, the brief touches, the small talk, which she surmised from the significant attention to dresses, purses, and shoes was largely about people's attire, and the laughing - all with a genuine smile on her face. And people responded to her very positively from the genuine smiles on their faces.

Maura could not understand how someone could actually thrive from the attention, but the Lieutenant's wife seemed to. The Lieutenant, however, was clearly less enthusiastic, politely smiling and letting her wife do most of the talking.

"I don't think the Lieutenant is happy socializing," Maura noted curiously.

"Yah think? Besides the paperwork, I think this has to be the most crappy part of the Lieutenant's job," Jane said, sipping her beer, also watching the spectacle. She had to admit there was a clear radiance that the Lieutenant's wife emitted that made people stand up and notice. "At least she has a wife who can do it for her," Jane said with appreciation.

Maura looked at Jane an uneasy moment, knowing while she could help Jane in some aspects of her job, it wouldn't be with her skill at social interactions and small talk, where she was at best – awkward.

**R&I**

The popular couple finally made it to their table; Jo was looking a bit worn down and Blair as fresh as ever.

"Well, here they are," Jo said, pleased that the men had some manners and stood. Even Crowe.

Jane and Maura also stood, making Jo smile.

"Everyone, this is my wife Blair. Blair, this is everyone," Jo said vaguely motioning to the group of tables.

"Good Lord, Jo. Would it kill you to do proper introductions?" Blair scolded, prompting a few amused smirks.

"Fine," Jo responded with a heavy sigh. "Starting with our table, Detective Vince Korsak, my wife, Blair Warner," Jo said, prompting Blair to hold out her hand and smile warmly.

"I am pleased to meet you, Detective. Jo tells me you are a huge animal lover," she said as they shook hands. "We have that in common."

"Really?" he said, surprised the Lieutenant had learned that about him. "What pets do you have?" Korsak perked up.

"Right now, we have two greyhounds that were rescued from a shelter. They were going to be put to sleep, just because they are past their racing prime," Blair said, shaking her head. "I wish more people would consider animal rescue before trying a breeder. You can feel good about helping and find a wonderful pet," she said enthusiastically.

Korsak nodded, mesmerized. Jo smirked; the Blair effect had claimed another unsuspecting victim.

"Korsak rescues pets too," Frost volunteered, causing Blair and Jo to turn towards his table.

"And you must be Detective . . . Frost?" she said, making him smile with surprise.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and motioned to the young woman next to him. "This is my date, Nina."

"Pleased to meet both of you," she said shaking their hands with a warm smile.

"Likewise. If we're not careful around Detective Korsak, we'll all end up with pets like Jane," Frost joked, turning their attention to the next table. Korsak frowned.

"That would be me," Jane said, holding out her hand. "Jane Rizzoli, unsuspecting dog owner. Nice to meet you," she said with a smile, shaking her hand.

"Come on. You love Jo, admit it," Korsak blurted grouchily.

Jo looked at him with a frown, not understanding what the hell he was talking about.

"Oh my. Should I be worried, Detective?" Blair said pointedly, enjoying the sudden alarm she saw a little too much.

"Wha..? No! Of course not!" Jane blurted uneasily, looking at her boss who looked at her curiously, crossing her arms over her chest. "My dog's name is Jo," Jane blurted with an awkward smile, then shot a glare at Korsak, who snickered.

"Oh how sweet, Jo," Blair gushed, turning to her wife. "They are already naming their pets after you," she said with amusement, patting her cheek, which prompted a few chuckles, including one from a relieved Jane. Jo rolled her eyes.

"Moving on," Jo said tersely. "Blair, this is Dr. Maura Isles. I believe it's safe to say she's Boston's best dressed and most meticulous medical examiner they've ever had." The detectives around her all nodded in unanimous agreement.

Maura smiled brightly at the compliment.

Blair smiled, looking over Maura closely. So closely that Jane frowned.

"Ralph Lauren and Jimmy Choos?" Blair asked with delight.

"Yes! Valentino and Prada?" Maura asked eagerly.

"Yes!" Blair beamed. "I predict there will be several shopping trips in our future, Doctor Isles," Blair joked with a smile.

"I'd like that," Maura said with a pleased smile.

"You two are going to JC Penny's?" Jane asked with a smirk. Jo winced.

"Jane!" Maura blurted with exasperation.

"Honey, if you could get a dress that lovely in JC Penny's, I'd shop there more often," Blair chuckled.

"You actually shop at JC Penny's?" Detective Crowe blurted in disbelief.

"Blair, Detective Darren Crowe," Jo supplied, though she wouldn't be surprised if Blair already knew that. Blair prepared for social functions like she did for any boardroom meeting; she studied. Instead of facts and figures about a business venture, she would study up on the people she was likely to meet. Armed with that knowledge and with her innate charm, Blair totally overwhelmed people, Jo thought, looking at her wife proudly.

Blair shook his hand. "Actually, I have. When we first got married, we had to carefully watch our money."

"Then she got addicted to bargain hunting," Jo supplied with a grin.

"Well, I do enjoy the adventure of the hunt," she admitted unapologetically, her genuine smile and warmth catching him off guard. "And what I learned hunting bargains has served me well in business," she added.

Crowe nodded uncomfortably.

"One word of advice, Crowe, don't ever get in Blair's way when she's shopping. You could lose a limb," Jo offered with amusement, surprising the detective, who didn't expect his boss to joke with him.

"Jo! You make me sound ruthless," Blair admonished with a frown.

Crowe smothered a smile. It seemed he wasn't the only one who said things that got him in trouble.

"You've got a gift, Princess. That's all I'm saying," Jo hedged, holding her hands up in surrender.

Blair eyed her. "I think we need to review the lesson on compliments, what constitutes one and what doesn't."

"Have I mentioned how beautiful you look?" Jo quickly asked.

* * *

TBC


	14. Chapter 14 Disclosures

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 14)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 14 - Disclosures**

After they sat and started to eat, Maura shifted in her seat towards Blair.

"Blair? If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you take Jo's last name?" Maura asked genuinely curious.

As Blair turned towards her, gently dabbing a napkin to her lips, Jo interjected.

"She's not a very good speller," Jo offered with a shrug, getting a glare from Blair.

"T – U – R – N – B – L – U – E," Blair spelled out with a thin smile, making Jo chuckle.

Maura frowned, wondering why she would wish her spouse to have cyanosis and why Jo would think that amusing.

"Actually, it just didn't seem right for the head of Warner Industries not to be named Warner," Jo offered.

"I was willing to change it," Blair said softly as the two shared a look and a memory.

"The head of Warner Industries?" Frost blurted with surprise, having heard of the Fortune 500 Company.

"CEO," Jo said with a proud smile.

"But I thought you said you had to struggle with money. Warner Industries has been around a long time," Korsak asked.

"Well, Daddy didn't appreciate my choices and cut me off," Blair said openly as Jo shifted uneasily in her chair, recalling the emotional turmoil they went through.

"We ate a lot of Mac and Cheese," Jo said flatly.

"And I learned the real value of a dollar, which has made me the successful business woman I am today," Blair countered pointedly, looking at Jo, daring her to argue. Jo couldn't. But Jo still recalled their struggles on a foot cop and department store manager's salary in New York City.

Jane glanced at Maura then down at the table, wondering what if Maura was actually closer to her parents and given the same ultimatum.

"So he changed his mind?" Jane asked with a wince, not wanting to annoy them with too personal questions but really wanting to know.

Blair squeezed Jo's hand as she answered. "He realized I was serious and not going to change my mind. So, if he wanted me in his life, he had to change his," she said proudly. "He's actually warmed up to Jo and invited her to golf with him."

"Once," Jo clarified with a wince. "Not one of my better sports."

"Well, the Petersons had plenty of auto insurance, Jo. And why on Earth they would park in the path of your ball I'll never understand," Blair offered supportively.

Jane smothered a chuckle, barely.

"Why didn't you take her last name, Lieutenant?" Maura asked Jo.

"Jo's easily confused and might not answer if you called her Lieutenant Warner," Blair offered easily.

"Huh? What?" Jo asked looking around, feigning confusion. Blair placed her hand on Jo's knee and squeezed with a smirk. Jo's eyes narrowed in warning.

"Actually, I didn't want her to give up her name out of respect for her father," Blair explained, glancing at Jo warmly.

"I would have changed it," Jo said softly as the two shared another memory.

"You could have hyphenated your last names," Jane suggested, surprising Maura. Though upon consideration, that did seem a logical compromise that would maintain both of their identities yet provide a shared name, she considered approvingly.

"We thought of that, but it didn't sound right. Polniachez -Warner, Warner-Polniachez," Blair said with a cringe as Jo shook her head with a wince.

Jane and Maura nodded in agreement.

Rizzoli-Isles, sounded better to Jane than Isles-Rizzoli. She glanced at Maura, startled by how quickly she jumped to that thought. Finding Maura's gaze on her, she smiled weakly and took a quick sip of beer.

"Would you like some more wine?" Jo softly asked her wife.

"That would be wonderful," Blair said, prompting Jo to nod and get up.

"Would you like another?" Jane asked Maura, glancing at her empty glass.

"Yes, please," Maura said warmly.

"I'll get it this time, Rizzoli, if you get the next one?" Jo offered.

"Deal," Jane said, getting a nod before Jo left.

Jane yawned.

"You're tired aren't you?" Maura asked.

"I think it might be past my bedtime," Jane said with a smirk.

Maura chuckled, shaking her head. "I'll make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight."

"Uh…" Jane said with a cringe.

Blair nibbled on her shrimp, trying not to eavesdrop but the two were just too cute together.

"I uh, forgot to ask you, since you are totally distracting in that dress," she said, changing subjects because she didn't want to sound like she was begging in public. In private . . . that would be another thing altogether.

"Which was the point," Maura smiled.

"And you've made your point, so very clearly," Jane offered sincerely, glancing at her with appreciation. "Anyway….do you know who was with Dean today?" Jane asked curiously. "I've tried to get Korsak and Frost to tell me what happened in the Lieutenant's office today but they're tight-lipped, which is driving me nuts. Normally, I can't get those two gossip queens to shut up," Jane complained, glancing at the two, who were in line again for seconds. Maybe thirds for Korsak, she considered.

"I was only briefly introduced to an Assistant Director Lowery, but I have no idea why he was visiting," Maura said with a shrug.

"Lowery?" Blair blurted, clearly shocked by the name. "…was meeting with Jo . . . today?" she asked tightly. Maura watched with alarm as Blair's shock transformed into anger, noting the other woman's hands being clenched into fists and the tenseness in the facial muscles, not to mention the hard look in her eyes.

Both Jane and Maura knew Blair was furious.

"Excuse me," she said with difficulty, struggling with her emotions. She stood as Jo was returning, skillfully holding a wine glass and bottle of beer in each hand.

"The line at the bar seems to be getting lon . . . What's wrong?" Jo quickly asked when she saw her wife's upset face.

"How could you?!" She hissed, shaking her head as tears formed in her anguished eyes.

"Blair," Jo said as panic washed over her, remembering the last time she saw that look, she almost got a divorce. "What's wrong?"

"You promised never again," she said miserably. Knowing the CEO of Warner Industries was about to make a big scene if she stayed, Blair was determined to maintain her dignity; she fled the table towards the bathroom.

The Lieutenant looked angrily at Korsak and Frost, who had just returned with new plates of food. "What the hell did you say to her?" She snapped.

Jane eyed her former and current partners, now understanding why they were so tight lipped; the Lieutenant had asked them to keep their yaps shut. But why? Her curiosity skyrocketed.

"Nothing," Korsak said worriedly. "Me neither," Frost chimed in nervously, knowing something bad was going down.

"Lieutenant? She got upset after she heard me mention the man I met today at the elevators, Assistant Director Lowery," Maura offered with concern, worried she had done something terribly wrong.

"No," Jo whispered, feeling like she was punched in the gut. She put the drinks down nervously, spilling some of the wine, and left to find her wife.

After an awkward moment of silence at the homicide tables as they digested what had just happened, Terri finally broke the silence and asked "what's going on?"

Crowe, for some stupid reason, felt depressed. "Nothing to worry about. I think I'd like to call it a night. Let's go, babe," he said as he got up.

Jane quickly got up, with Maura following, and went over to Frost and Korsak. "You two are going to tell me what the hell happened in Polniachez's office today," Jane demanded. "And you are going to tell me right now."

Korsak and Frost looked at each other uneasily. "Let's go to a quieter area," Korsak offered.

**R&I**

As Crowe and his date crossed the dance floor, another detective from Vice intercepted them.

"Hey Crowe, something going down with your boss and her wife? They both flew off like bats out of hell," he said, glancing back to where they had quickly retreated.

"More like bitches in heat. They haven't seen each other for a while. I'd bet they're getting their rocks off, or whatever lezzies do, in the bathroom," Crowe said crudely.

"Well, with a wife as hot as that, I can't really blame the Lieutenant, can you?" the Vice detective said with a snicker. Crowe shrugged.

"I don't think . . . ," Terri said in confusion.

"That's right, babe. And I've never held that against you. Let's go," Crowe said, getting a slap on the back from the other detective who chuckled, shaking his head and taking a sip of his glass of whisky.

**R&I**

Herding them into a small, vacant conference room, Jane eyed Korsak and Frost.

"Spill," Jane said impatiently.

"Frost looked up Marie Largo for you," Korsak told Jane, who grunted, already knowing that much.

"Who is Marie Largo?" Maura asked curiously, looking among the detectives, noting Jane wince slightly.

"The Lieutenant's undercover name," Korsak answered as Jane nodded and motioned him to explain.

"Why would you look that name up?" Maura asked, confused. Jane took a deep breath.

"Because I wouldn't look into the Lieutenant's background for her," Frost said, looking pointedly at Jane, who cringed.

"Why would you want to investigate the Lieutenant?" Maura asked with surprise.

Jane found all eyes on her, looking for an answer. "Because I had my head up my ass, all right?!" Jane blurted with a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

Maura cringed, tilting her head thoughtfully. "I don't believe that is anatomically possi…."

"It's a figure of speech!" Jane interrupted with a moan, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Maura looked at her, still not understanding.

"She was jealous," Korsak and Frost supplied in stereo.

"Y. . . you knew?" She blurted uncomfortably, looking at them in surprise.

"Hey, it wasn't our place to say anything. What if we were wrong?" Korsak said quickly.

"Yeah," Frost agreed, looking at Korsak with a shrug.

Jane stared at her former and current partner, not knowing what to make of that. They had never pulled punches when teasing her about anything else. But somehow, they knew Maura was too important to tease her about.

"Why on Earth would you be jealous of the Lieutenant?" Maura asked Jane, who winced, feeling tremendously foolish and small. Very small.

"Really, Doc?" Korsak asked with surprise. Jane looked at him oddly.

Maura just shook her head, not understanding.

Korsak nodded at Frost, who started the list.

"She has a sweet Aston Martin," Frost offered, counting off the reasons on his fingers. "Designer duds," Korsak added. "High ranking officer," Frost blurted. "Very attentive to you," Korsak said pointedly to Maura, who looked at Jane curiously. Jane winced. "A sweet Rolex," Frost said with a big smile, getting Korsak to roll his eyes before adding "Very attractive."

"You think so?" Frost said with surprise.

"Don't you?" Korsak asked curiously.

"Well, I guess. But Ms. Warner is really more my ty…" Frost said.

"Jesus! Enough all ready!" Jane interrupted, running her hand through her hair.

"Jane, is that why you hit the Lieutenant? Because you were jealous we had dinner?" Maura asked curiously.

"No! I hit her because she was married and taking advantage of you!" Jane responded defensively.

Korsak and Frost looked at each other with alarm.

"But she wasn't taking advantage of me…" Maura responded, still confused.

"I know!" Jane moaned.

"You actually hit the Lieutenant?" Korsak said with wide eyes.

Jane looked at the three with amazement. "Not only have we strayed off the reservation, we just fell into the Grand Canyon! We need to FOCUS, people! What about Marie Largo and your meeting?!" Jane said with frustration, glaring at Frost and Korsak.

**R&I**

When the four returned to their tables, Maura spoke up "I'll go check the ladies room."

"They're gone!" Nina rushed up to Frost with concern.

"Together?" Korsak asked hopefully.

Nina shook her head no, biting her lip. "I only saw the Lieutenant. She had Ms. Warner's wedding rings. She didn't look good," she said gravely.

"Oh no," Maura said worriedly.

"This is bad," Korsak said from experience. "Real bad."

"Do you think either of them might do harm to themselves?" Maura asked Jane, who cringed not knowing them well enough to rule that out.

"The Lieutenant has been under a lot of stress, even before tonight," Frost said guiltily, wishing he had never been able to crack into the FBI database.

"She didn't look good . . . at all," Nina supplied.

"And she has a gun," Korsak said gravely, not wanting to think the Lieutenant might shoot herself. But he knew how self-destructive people could be when dealing with strong emotions. And what the Lieutenant and Ms. Warner shared were very strong emotions, he concluded confidently, even thought he had only briefly observed them together.

"All right, all right," Jane blurted, rubbing the back of her neck. "They may get pissed at us for butting in, but we should make sure they don't do anything rash," Jane said, getting unanimous nods of agreement. "Maura, I think it's best if . . . ," Jane said with a slight wince.

"I go with Korsak to track down Blair, while you and Frost and find the Lieutenant?" Maura immediately responded.

"I thought you didn't like to guess," Jane said with a small smile.

"It wasn't a guess. It was a logical deduction," Maura said in her defense.

Jane smiled. "Let's roll."

* * *

TBC


	15. Chapter 15 Butting In

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 15)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Butting In**

"Niiiice," Frost said as Jane drove up the long driveway to the Lieutenant's house, which was a large Colonial in Jamaica Plains. The house sat on a large, beautifully landscaped lot with a separate, three-car garage.

"I guess I expected Beacon Hill or something on the bay," Jane said, pulling up behind the Aston Martin parked on the curved driveway in front of the house. She looked around as she got out of the car, offering "But this is nice."

"I bet they wanted some land for their greyhounds," Frost said with a shrug as they walked up to the front door. Jane looked around approvingly; she smiled, able to see kids playing around here too. She wondered if Maura would eventually want children.

Jane lifted her hand to knock but the door swung open before she could.

"Are you here to see Lieutenant Jo?" an older woman in her sixties anxiously asked with a thick Irish brogue, glancing over the officers in their dress uniforms.

Frost and Jane briefly looked at each other with concern.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'm Detective Rizzoli. This is Detective Frost."

"Please, come in, come in," the woman stepped back and quickly waved her hand to hurry them in. "I'm Fiona. Their housekeeper," the woman said. "I knew something was terribly wrong but Lieutenant Jo won't talk about it," she said, shaking her head. "Dear Lord, is Miss Blair all right?" she suddenly guessed, looking at them worriedly.

"We know Lieutenant Polniachez and Ms. Warner had a fight," Jane said with a small wince, causing Fiona to frown. "We have people checking up on Ms. Warner. We're here to check on the Lieutenant," Jane offered. "Is Lieutenant Polniachez here?" Jane asked, glancing back to the Aston Martin, hoping that meant she was.

"You'll find her in the garage."

Jane nodded and looked at her partner with a cringe. "Barry?"

"Girl talk. Got it," he said, holding his hands up, rather relieved she was taking the lead on this.

**R&I**

"Ms. Warner?" Dr. Isles said, knocking gently on the hotel door.

After a long moment, Dr. Isles knocked again, harder. "Blair?"

The door opened. Maura and Korsak knew the woman had been crying. Her makeup had been removed and her eyes were red. But she still looked amazing, Korsak thought.

"How did you find me?" She said flatly.

"Credit card check," Korsak said with a shrug.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Of course," she said wearily. "Apparently Jo didn't understand our last conversation," Blair said.

"Jo didn't send us," Maura quickly said, surprising Blair. "We were worried."

Blair took a deep breath and looked at the two visitors. "Well, now that you see I'm all right, you have accomplished your good deed and can leave. Good night," she said, starting to close the door.

"Please, Ms. Warner. I think you need to hear what happened today," Korsak blurted, looking at the distraught woman with empathy.

"Why? Jo broke a promise to me and knew what the consequences were," she said with a hard look for the Detective.

"What was the promise?" Maura asked, honestly wanting to know what could have driven this impressive woman to end, what appeared by all accounts, a very happy relationship.

"It's none of your concern, Dr. Isles," Blair said tiredly, starting to shut the door.

Maura frowned and looked worriedly at Korsak.

"Please, Ms. Warner," he urged. "I've been married and divorced a few times and know that I was lousy when it came to communicating with my wife, uh . . . wives. I have a gut feeling here that if you understood what happened today, you wouldn't be so angry with Lieutenant Polniachez. Please. If you hear me out and still think she is in the wrong, it will only have cost you fifteen minutes. If you find she's not in the wrong and this is a misunderstanding, that fifteen minutes spent will have saved you two a lifetime together," he said passionately.

Maura looked at him with a warm smile, impressed with his surprising eloquence.

Blair looked at them a long moment before weakly nodding and stepping back in silent invitation.

**R&I**

Hearing the door open, Jo quickly stood up from the '68 Mustang engine, almost hitting her head on the open hood. She turned to have her hopes dashed, seeing the tall detective, not her wife, enter the garage.

Noting the concern on Jane's face, Jo sighed. "I'm not going to "off" myself, Rizzoli," Jo said tiredly, turning back to her partially disassembled Mustang, shaking her head.

"Good. Less paperwork," Jane said as she walked towards the Lieutenant, glancing around the garage that appeared well-equipped with various tools neatly hung up, some of which Jane could identify, and several auto parts on the well-lit work bench aligning one wall. Her gaze briefly drifted to the motorcycle on the other side of the garage, before taking a close look at the Lieutenant, who had changed into worn jeans and a sweatshirt that sported several random streaks of what looked like grease.

"I hope you aren't expecting me to talk to you," Jo said, picking up an alternator off her worktable.

"I'm not expecting," Jane said. "Hoping? Yeah," she added with a shrug.

Several silent minutes passed while Jo just worked on her car, fitting the alternator in place.

"You know, I was the one who started this whole mess," Jane said guiltily.

"I was the one who asked Frost to investigate you," she admitted with a wince. "Headuptheass-itis, as you pointed out," she offered as explanation. "He refused. But he didn't know you used the name Marie Largo, so I asked him to look her up. And, well, you know he's good at that," she said uncomfortably.

Jo didn't respond and continued to work on her car, turning a wrench to torque the alternator nuts. Jane frowned.

"Why did you let her give you her wedding rings back? Why did you let her walk away?" Jane finally asked, receiving only an annoyed exhale as Jo continued on her car.

"God, it didn't even take me five minutes to see how much you two love each other. How can you let your wife just walk away? Why aren't you fighting to keep that precious gift?" Jane said, honestly confused.

Jo continued tightening the nuts. But Jane noted Jo's hand was strangling the wrench; her words were getting to her.

Jane stepped closer, glancing at the engine a thoughtful moment, then Jo. "I had thought you a dirty cop and even a well-dressed lothario," she said with a humorless chuckle at her erroneous suspicions. "But I never, ever took you for a coward. Guess I was wrong about that too."

As Jane expected, she finally got a response.

**R&I**

"You've got fifteen minutes," Blair said, sitting down across from Maura and Vince.

"Jane had her partner…" Korsak started.

"Barry Frost," Blair supplied.

"Yeah. Jane had Barry investigate the Lieutenant's alias, Marie Largo. The Lieutenant had used it during a murder investigation. She handed over a business card with that name on it to a suspect, along with a one hundred dollar bill. Jane thought it very odd a police officer would have those resources on her," Korsak said.

Blair frowned, having to agree. She could not believe that after everything, Jo would still carry those business cards on her. It seemed Jo had been unable to separate herself from that life, in spite of all her promises that she would.

"Frost is unusually good at finding information and hacked into the FBI database," Korsak said.

Blair's eyes widened.

"We know, it's a Federal offense," Korsak noted with a shrug.

"He got caught?" Blair said worriedly, knowing how painful it was once the FBI got their hooks into you. Detective Frost seemed like such a nice man, she considered.

"Actually, no. The file we found was, well, disturbing and we felt we had to understand why it looked like the Lieutenant was a prominent criminal that had been classified as dead. We went to a friend in the FBI."

"Be careful of those you call friends, Detective," Blair warned flatly, clearly not enamored with the FBI.

Korsak shared a glance with Maura before continuing.

"Well, Agent Dean discussed the issue with Assistant Director Lowery," he said, noting Blair tensing at the name. "They came to Boston and had a chat with Barry and me in the Lieutenant's office to discuss how we illegally accessed confidential information."

Blair looked at him thoughtfully.

"I was sure we were toast. But Lieutenant Polniachez bailed us out. She took the heat for using the alias in the first place and even told them that she would expect Boston's finest to be suspicious of her and her actions. Lowery still wanted to pursue the hacking charge but she threatened him," he said, noting Blair's surprise with hope.

"She told him she looked forward to embarrassing the FBI. He wasn't concerned until she asked him if he knew who she was married to. She told him she had the resources and support to use them to cause an investigation or two," he said, causing Blair's gaze to drop thoughtfully.

"He backed down, but extracted a promise for us not to mention the "incident."

Blair looked at him with concern. "You broke that promise. You are talking to me about it."

Korsak smiled slightly with a shrug. "In the short time I've known Jo Polniachez, I have been impressed. She's no nonsense, fair, and works damn hard," he said, noting the small, proud smile emerge on Blair's face.

"Ms. Warner, she had our backs in that meeting, and I'm glad to return the favor now, even if it means breaking a promise to some Fed ass. . .sistant director," he awkwardly amended, seeing twin displeased frowns.

"Now, I don't know what promise you think she broke to you, but the only reason she was dealing with the FBI was because of us," Korsak said with a guilty cringe.

"She wasn't … working with them again," Blair said softly as she digested that crucial point.

"Not at all. She was not happy seeing Lowery again," Korsak said firmly.

"And there was noticeable darkening of her nasojugal folds," Maura supplied helpfully, then noticed the confused looks with an uncomfortable wince. "She looked extremely fatigued," she translated.

Blair glanced down, feeling horrible knowing how much she must have hurt Jo.

"So you thought she was working with the FBI again, which would break her promise to you?" Korsak asked, still not fully understanding.

Blair nodded, wiping new tears off her cheek. "Poor Jo, she must have been a nervous wreck," she whispered guiltily.

"Why would working with the FBI be so objectionable to you?" Maura asked curiously, having found the agents she had worked with competent and professional.

**R&I**

"Keep the beer on it," Jo said uncomfortably with a frown, handing the tall brunette an ice-cold can.

"Awesome fridge," Jane said, seeing the shelves packed with beer, making her really want a garage workshop now. Not that she was particularly good at auto mechanics…but she knew the basics, she thought, frowning that her inspection of the fridge was cut short when Jo shut the door.

"Rizzoli," Jo said wearily.

Jane sighed, sat on a stool by a workbench, and placed the can on her eye. "You know, this isn't the first time I've used beer to treat an injury, although it is the first time I put it on my eye," Jane noted with amusement, then saw the serious look on Jo's face. "This isn't my first black eye, Lieutenant," Jane repeated dismissively.

"I can't imagine why, Rizzoli," Jo said flatly. "Frost is with you, right?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll have him take me in. You should get that checked out at the …"

"Take you in?" Jane interrupted with surprise. "Geeze, my brother has done more damage with an accidental elbow. Don't sweat it," she said with a lopsided smile.

"I have to sweat it, Rizzoli. I'm your superior officer and I crossed the line," Jo said gravely. "It's called assault."

"Whoa, I tripped and fell. That's my story and I'm sticking to it," Jane declared, taking the beer from her eye and popping the tab open. After a long sip, she exhaled with satisfaction and said "Much better."

Still seeing the somber look on Jo's face, Jane offered: "You could say . . . we're even now."

"You're a piece of work, Rizzoli," Jo said grabbing herself a beer from the fridge and sat on an adjacent stool.

"So I've been told. So, you gonna to talk about what happened with your wife tonight, or what?" Jane said, taking another sip.

"Jesus, Rizzoli," she groused, opening up her beer and taking a sip. "I think I'd rather have Frost bring me in."

Ignoring her boss' comment, she persisted. "I got it that you worked undercover with the FBI and it was not a pleasant experience. But I don't understand why Blair would react without understanding what happened," Jane said sympathetically.

"I made a promise. I broke it," Jo said simply, taking a sip.

"What promise?"

Jo sighed and briefly glanced at her before staring out in the direction of her Mustang, remembering. "To never deal with Lowery and his department again."

"Oh for GOD's sake! It wasn't like you contacted them. If Blair understood that…"

"Jane!" Jo snapped, stopping Jane and getting a frown. "I put that woman and our family through hell. She has every right to be angry. Every right," Jo said with conviction.

"Maybe. But I can't believe she would blame you for what we did to you," Jane said stubbornly.

"You only took what I gave you and ran with it," Jo said and sighed. "It was just one too many screw-ups," she added softly.

"She loves you," Jane countered with conviction.

"Sometimes, Rizzoli, what's best for them is letting go," she said sagely. "Even if it kills you," Jo added weakly, finishing her beer.

"How can you be sure leaving you is the best thing for her?" Jane argued.

"At the moment, I'm not sure. But even if I thought I knew, it's not for me to decide," Jo said, getting another beer.

"Ah fuck," Jane moaned, depressed.

**R&I**

Headed to the Lieutenant's residence, Korsak gladly played chauffer for the two women, who were quietly sitting in the back of Maura's car. He was relieved Ms. Warner didn't hold their mistake against the Lieutenant.

"The FBI promised I would have a point of contact, so Jo and I could trade letters or messages without exposing Jo's cover."

Blair's clear voice suddenly cut through the thick silence as they rode to her house, surprising Maura and Korsak, who assumed she was not inclined to say anything more to them. Maura was pleased that was not the case, tremendously curious about the cause of such emotional turmoil for such an impressive couple.

"Agent Lowery was the contact for a few months. He was not a pleasant man," Blair said with a grimace, recalling those distasteful interactions. "He hated having to be the go-between - a glorified gofer, as he called it. He also said this little deal I had made with his superior was a big risk to the operation and said so on several occasions. Then he and his superior disappeared. No one else at the Bureau was able to tell me what had happened to them or knew what was going on. And I was not in a position to demand anything. Oh, I could have gone to my political contacts, but I knew that risked putting Jo in more danger. And I was not about to do that," she said, staring forward without focus as she recalled the feeling of helplessness. "I thought the time already apart from Jo was torture, but not knowing, not hearing from her - those were the six longest months of my life," Blair said softly, lost in the memory.

Maura frowned, regretting the distress brought by her simple question, which had a far from simple answer. She knew she would have been worried sick had Jane gone undercover for that length of time without any word, in spite of her faith in Jane's abilities and her logical rationalizations that it was Jane's job and no doubt needed. Yet she knew that her heart would toss her logic into chaos had Jane been in danger.

"For almost a year, I was living this . . . surreal life. Jo was off doing GOD knows what undercover and I… I was making increasingly ridiculous excuses for Jo's absence. Our family was drifting apart and I didn't know how to pull us back together. Then one day, I saw a TV news report. It was about a big FBI bust; several members of two crime families and many NYPD officers were involved. And there had been several casualties. They actually showed some clips of the standoff at Tony Saluda's mansion. I was surprised that they would show people being shot on afternoon TV," Blair said absently. "Then, I saw her," she whispered, recalling that day. "After several months without any word, I finally saw Jo, getting shot on TV."

Maura gasped.

"She limped back into the mansion, away from the gunfire but . . . ," she said, drifting off for a moment into the dark memory.

Wiping a tear from her face, she blinked and continued. "The mansion burned to the ground. The reporters said no one was found alive in the ashes. My world, which had been uncertain and terrifying for almost year, finally had the certainty I had dreaded . . . ever since Jo joined the force. You know, I never really thought she would actually die in the line of duty," she said dully. "She was . . . Jo," Blair added simply, as if that explained everything.

A distressing feeling settled in the pit of Maura's stomach as she thought of the fear she had experienced for Jane with Hoyt. Insidious tendrils of fear took root as she considered Jane's normal day-to-day job exposed her to a variety of dangers that could also steal Jane away from her.

"I never knew such hurt. Then Agent Lowery suddenly resurfaced several days later, giving me the name of the hospital Jo was in," Blair said, shaking her head incredulously. "No apologies, no explanations, just a terse phone call. That bastard," she hissed quietly, recalling the pain.

"I rushed to the hospital to find she was injured, but alive," Blair whispered and shut her eyes as tears fell. "I was overjoyed . . . and furious. How could the FBI be so cruel, leaving me without any information, letting me believe she was dead? I was so angry with everything about this operation. I never wanted her to go but . . . she convinced me she had to do it. After Jo recovered from her physical injuries, we finally talked. Or rather, I yelled and she took it," Blair said guiltily, tears falling steadily down her cheeks.

"I made her promise that we would never, ever, have contact with Lowery or do the FBI's bidding again - or I would leave her," Blair said with a wince. "I never even considered what she had been through before forcing her to make me that promise," she said with a grimace. "She actually swore to me on her father's grave that she wouldn't and begged me to forgive her," Blair said miserably, her hand covering her mouth as she looked out the window and silently cried.

Tears welled up in Maura's eyes as she watched the distraught woman. Her overwhelming love for Jane had brought her great joy, but now brought her an unexpected fear – losing the person who holds your heart.

How does one possibly survive that?

**R&I**

"So . . . you want to know how we met?" Jo asked, plopping onto her stool after retrieving more beer from her "awesome" garage fridge.

Jo handed another beer to Jane, whose uniform was looking less and less crisp. Her tie was loosened and several shirt buttons were undone so she could "breathe."

"Thanks."

"Your eye's starting to look like crap," Jo said honestly, inspecting the puffier eye with a wince.

"But I'm feeling no pain, thank you very much," Jane said, opening her beer, which would soon be added to the collection of empties in their dead solider pile. "So, how did you two meet?" She asked, taking a sip.

"I made it into Eastland with a scholarship," she said. Seeing Jane's confused look, she added, "It's a boarding school in Peekskill, New York."

"A boarding school? Huh," Jane said with a thoughtful grunt.

"I know! A poor kid from the Bronx going to some fancy boarding school! I took the exam to please my Ma, never thinking I'd actually get in. Then I did, with a scholarship even," Jo said with a cringe. "Ma had me packed up and shipped off so fast my head spun. I knew my Ma was determined I would make something of myself. But I was really pissed that it apparently meant leaving everyone and everything I knew. In hindsight, it was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I got out of a bad neighborhood, got a great education, met good people - including Blair."

"So it was love at first sight, huh?" Jane said with a warm smile, sipping her beer.

"Hell, no," Jo laughed with great amusement, surprising Jane, who blinked. "It was more like hate at first sight. She was this goddamn Prima Donna – a spoiled rich kid, who, when we first met, had the nerve to tell me my jeans were "so last year." Like, who the fuck really cares what "year" jeans are? I mean, do they cover the appropriate parts or not? Jesus!"

Jane snorted. "Ow," she blurted with a cringe and gingerly wiped the beer coming from her nose.

"But I wasn't exactly the easiest to get along with either," Jo admitted, sipping her beer.

"Noooo," Jane said with amusement.

"Shut up," Jo groused and sipped her beer.

Jane chuckled.

"I still had a bad attitude against anything that was different from what I was used to, which was, well . . . all of Eastland," Jo said, finishing her beer and getting another one.

**R&I**

"Ms. Warner?" Maura asked softly after a long stretch of silence with Blair looking thoughtfully out of the car door window, seemingly mesmerized by the streetlights passing by.

"Please, call me Blair," she said softly, glancing at her with a small smile.

"All right, if you'll call me Maura," Maura said, getting a nod.

"How were you able to overcome your fear for Jo's safety?" Maura hesitantly asked as they drove up to the house, which Blair had yet to spend a night in.

Blair looked at Maura as the car came to a stop in front of her new house. Korsak suddenly appeared at her door and politely opened it. "I'm . . . still working on that," she said honestly, taking his hand to get out of the car.

Maura looked down, not very comforted by that thought. Korsak also opened her door and politely held out a hand, which she automatically took.

"Ms. Warner?" Korsak called, curiously watching her walk towards the garage, not the house.

"Vince, it's Blair for off-duty hours, okay?" she said, pausing and saw their confusion at her intended destination. "Jo needs to work when she's frustrated," Blair explained. "She is mechanically inclined and the garage is a perfect place for her to decompress. It's always been her sanctuary, especially when something is bothering her."

Maura nodded in understanding. "Jane tends to clean."

**R&I**

"So then, she looked at me and said "turn BLUE!" What the hell kind of insult is that?" Jo snorted, causing Jane to laugh with her.

Jo picked up the bottle of Tequila, which had been magically produced from a red toolbox near the refrigerator - unequivocal proof to Jane that Jo had the most awesomeness garage in the WORLD. As she poured, Jo managed to miss her shot glass, splashing the golden liquid onto her workbench. "Fuck," she grumbled, more carefully aligning the bottle and managing to fill the small glass.

"Want another?" Jo asked Jane, who looked at her empty shot glass.

"Actually…" she said.

"You both are done for tonight," Blair declared firmly, causing the two officers to look at the two beautiful women entering the garage.

Their designer dresses looked out of place, Jane considered. But then, they both looked really hot and just added to the garage's awesomeness.

"Blair," Jo gushed at the return of her wife, overwhelmed with emotion. She quickly stood, lost her balance. Jane, trying to help, grabbed her and they both toppled over onto the floor.

* * *

TBC


	16. Chapter 16 Mine Fields

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 16)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 16 – Mine Fields**

"Have you even bothered to unpack, Jo?" Blair asked as she helped Jo into the master bedroom, amazed by all the boxes that were still untouched.

"Shoulda done more. Sorry," Jo mumbled dejectedly as Blair frowned guiltily as she sat Jo on the bed.

"We'll just do it together, OK?" Blair said soothingly, getting Jo to nod absently.

Jo tried to take her sneakers off but Blair knelt before her, gently pushing her uncoordinated hands away and slipped off the footwear. "Don't have to . . . I can do it," Jo said, blinking as she tried for her socks.

Blair grasped her hands. "Jo. Please, let me do this for you," she asked, looking into sad, bleary eyes.

"Why . . . would you want to?" Jo whispered in anguish as tears filled her eyes.

"Oh Jo," Blair said, her heart breaking. "Because I love you."

"Still?" Jo asked uncertainly as tears fell.

"Still," Blair confirmed. Squeezing Jo's hands, she added "Always."

"Always," Jo said reverently, grasping onto that thought like she was Blair's hands - tightly.

Blair leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her lips before looking in her eyes to make sure she understood. "Always," she repeated with conviction, getting a sigh of relief and weak nod.

"Now, let's get you out of these clothes," Blair said softly, reaching up to wipe Jo's tear stained cheek.

A slow smile filled Jo's face. "Then you," she suggested with a weak, but sly chuckle.

"Jo," Blair said, rolling her eyes as she stood. "Is that all you think about?"

"Apart waaaay too long," Jo offered, awkwardly lifting her arms upon Blair's silent command.

"I'll agree with you on that," she said, carefully pulling Jo's sweatshirt off. She immediately saw the gold chain that Jo normally wore, which now threaded through her wedding rings.

"Jo," she whispered with anguish, letting her fingers trace down the chain to her rings.

"I'm so sorry," Jo said apprehensively.

"No. You have nothing to be sorry for," Blair countered firmly as she sat next to Jo.

"I broke the promise," Jo said uneasily, her eyes dropping.

"Jo, I know you didn't. I know what happened," she said gently, caressing her cheek. "And if anyone should apologize, it's me," she said, dropping her hand uncomfortably. "I broke the most important promise of all. For better or worse, remember that one?" she said with a guilty wince. "Can you ever forgive me?" Blair asked earnestly.

"Always," Jo said simply as her unsteady hand managed to reverently caress Blair's cheek, earning a small smile.

"I love you so much," Blair whispered and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Love you," Jo said softly as her hand managed to find Blair's dress zipper and start to pull.

"Jo!" She said with exasperation, grabbing her hand to stop its drunken campaign as warm lips nipped deliciously at her neck, skillfully coaxing her arousal.

"Need you," Jo whispered between kisses, further challenging her resolve.

"Jo, let me at least hang up my dress," Blair complained as she succumbed to the onslaught of kisses, against her better judgment.

"Hurry," Jo whispered in her ear before planting another kiss on her neck.

Blair stood and caressed Jo's face before reaching back to pull down her zipper. She smiled as Jo intently watched her. "I'll be right back," she promised and went to the closet.

**R&I**

"I'm sorry for drinking so much, Maur," Jane said uneasily. While not as drunk as Jo, she knew she was too incapacitated to drive and didn't think Maura would appreciate her being amorous while drunk. "Kinda ruined a close to perfect evening," she said apologetically, pulling her tie off sloppily with one hand and tossing it onto bureau as her other held an icepack to her eye.

"You have nothing to apologize for. The circumstances were understandable, Jane," Maura said, pulling Jane to her bed. "Sit."

"Bossy," Jane snorted with amusement, watching Maura go to the bureau to retrieve the tie.

"When necessary," Maura noted as she placed the errant tie neatly on a hanger and hung it up in the closet.

As she returned to take Jane's uniform jacket, Jane offered quietly. "I don't mind."

Maura looked at her uneasily, then frowned, noting the ice pack in Jane's lap. "Keep the ice on your eye," Maura said firmly, before going back to the closet to carefully hang the jacket up.

Jane sighed and placed the ice on her eye again, watching Maura fuss at some apparent lint on her jacket.

Maura returned to unbutton Jane's shirt.

"I'm glad Blair isn't holding what we did against Jo," Jane said, finding Maura's silence unnerving.

"It is fortunate for them that Blair realized her promise was poorly worded," Maura said neutrally, taking the shirt to the closet, also hanging it up with great care.

"Yeah," Jane frowned, noting Maura was not looking her in the eye. She awkwardly untied her shoes with one hand, careful to keep the ice on her eye as instructed. Kicking off her shoes and pulling of her socks, Jane noted there was something bothering Maura, who remained unusually . . . detached.

"Jane," Maura exhaled with exasperation when Jane tossed her shoes and socks towards the bureau.

"Sorry," Jane said with a wince, realizing the chaos she was brining to Maura this evening; Maura did not like chaos. As she started to get up to reclaim her shoes, suspecting they too had a designated spot in the closet, Maura held up a firm hand, stopping her.

"I've got it," she said, retrieving the shoes and socks and taking them into the closet.

"Are you mad, Maura?" Jane asked uneasily as she unbuckled her pants. "I know this wasn't the evening that either of us had planned."

"I'm not mad. Up," she said, getting Jane to stand.

"Really? You sure seem mad," Jane said, gently grasping Maura's hand as she reached for her pants.

"I'm not," Maura said firmly before her gaze uncomfortably dropped.

"Ok," Jane said, not liking this odd vibe she was getting from Maura.

"Pants," Maura said and quietly pulled down Jane's pants, which Jane would have thought would be very arousing. But right now, Jane felt like a patient.

"You sure you're not mad?" Jane asked again, causing Maura to look at her with annoyance.

"Jane! I've already told you I'm not mad. Sit."

Jane exhaled and sat. "But you're not talking to me," Jane complained as Maura pulled off her pants.

"What do you call what I am doing now?" Maura countered, taking her pants and hanging them up next to her other uniform items.

"Proving a point," Jane grumbled with a frown as Maura smiled thinly. She knew she wouldn't win a debate with Maura normally, but drunk?

Sitting down on the bed next to her, Maura unhooked Jane's bra, another act that she would have thought erotic. But with Maura's continued professional detachment, Jane could only frown. Awkwardly, Jane slipped off the bra, juggling her icepack. Maura folded it and placed it on the bureau. Opening up the second drawer, she pulled out blue silk pajamas. She returned to the bed and helped Jane dress in them.

Quietly taking the icepack, Maura went to the bathroom as Jane quietly slipped under the covers, never having felt more like a stranger in this room.

"Teeth, Jane." Maura noted firmly, returning from the bathroom.

"Uh, yeah. Forgot. Sorry," she said as she went to the ensuite. She looked in the mirror with a wince, seeing the slight discoloration starting to form around her eye. She slowly brushed her teeth, giving Maura some privacy to change. She honestly didn't expect that she would feel the need to after what they had shared together. And that worried her.

After spitting, Jane rinsed her mouth out and took a fortifying breath.

Maura had efficiently changed into beautiful burgundy silk pajamas and was already in bed when Jane returned. Maura was sitting up, looking tense; her gaze was everywhere but on Jane.

"Maura?" Jane asked hesitantly, feeling surprising dread.

"Yes, Jane?" Maura said, finally looking at her.

She couldn't shake the feeling that she was unwelcome. "Should I . . . go to the guest room?"

Maura dropped her gaze uncomfortably, causing Jane's stomach to drop.

"Oh," Jane whispered with hurt.

**R&I**

Efficiently slipping out of her dress and undergarments and into a short silk robe, Blair quickly returned to Jo as promised.

She stopped in her tracks and blew out a frustrated breath when she spotted the still form sprawled out on the bed, lightly snoring. Shaking her head at the unsurprising interruption to their night of passion, she removed her pants and put a nightshirt on her wife.

As Blair tucked her under the covers, Jo shifted slightly and mumbled something unintelligible before resuming her soft snoring.

Blair softly chuckled as she slipped under the covers on her side of the bed. Leaning towards her, she tenderly kissed Jo's temple. She whispered with a sly smile "You are so going to make this up to me," before kissing her again and settling in for comfortable slumber next to her wife.

**R&I**

In the morning, Maura quietly made breakfast, listening to the shower that had just started. She mechanically got out the plates and silverware as the French toast cooked and coffee brewed.

When Jane joined her, breakfast was ready. Perfect timing, she considered absently but took no satisfaction in that fact. She smiled weakly and greeted Jane. "Good morning, Jane."

Jane looked at her a moment before responding. "Morning."

"Have a seat, breakfast is ready," Maura said politely.

"Thank you," Jane said politely and sat, watching Maura closely.

Maura tried to ignore the Detective's gaze as she served the meal. When she finally sat, she lifted her cup of coffee to her lips and took a sip.

Jane lifted her cup and also sipped, quietly looking at Maura.

The meal was eaten in silence as Jane waited for Maura to say something. When nearly finished, Jane couldn't stand the tension between them and softly asked Maura. "What's going on, Maura? You're scaring me."

"I'm not trying to scare you, Jane."

"Well thank God for that," she joked with a small smile. But she saw no amusement in Maura's eyes, which made Jane more nervous.

"Are . . . are you upset about me getting drunk last night?" Jane said, pretty certain that wasn't the case, since Maura told her that last night. But it would be something easy to deal with, she considered, her gut telling her this was going to be far from easy.

"No, Jane. As I've told you, the circumstances were understandable. I even understand why you provoked the Lieutenant, though considering her emotional state, it was fortunate you only received a black eye," she said, glancing at the discoloration.

Jane frowned. "Then why have you put up a wall between us, Maura? What's going on?"

Maura glanced away guiltily. She had put up a wall. That's what she always did when things became emotionally difficult.

"Are . . . are you having second thoughts?" Jane asked the one thing that worried her most.

Maura glanced at her, feeling guilt at the unease clearly on Jane's face. Jane was always so open about her emotions. She could be overwhelming at times. "About?"

"Us."

Maura sighed and looked at her plate. "Yes."

Jane winced. The verbal blow more painful than any punch she had ever received. She sucked in an uneasy breath. "Why?"

Maura frowned. It was a logical question. If only her answer was logical. "I am not sure I'm ready to be in a serious relationship."

Jane's mind raced for something to say that would change her mind. "What . . . would make you ready?" she asked, ready to do anything to make her ready.

"I'm . . . not sure," Maura whispered.

"What changed, Maura?" Jane asked, struggling to not sound like she was begging. "Give me something to works with here," she pleaded anyway.

"Jane," Maura said sadly but did not answer. There was nothing Jane could do, she considered sadly.

"It's easier to communicate when people talk to each other, Maura," Jane blurted tersely.

Maura looked at her plate.

Jane exhaled feeling helpless. "What aren't you telling me? You seemed happy last night, what happened to cha. . . ," Jane said, then abruptly stopped, looking at Maura as comprehension dawned. Maura hates chaos and emotional turmoil and she got a really good look at it last night in all its glory.

"You're afraid. You're afraid I'll hurt you," Jane whispered.

"Jane, I know you would never do anything intentionally to hurt me," Maura immediately responded.

"But you're afraid . . . of being hurt," she noted, seeing Maura tense. Of course, it was fear, Jane concluded, knowing that was what had driven Maura all her life. "Oh Sweetie, love is a wonderfully sloppy emotional mess. And there will be bumps and bruises along the way," Jane said emphatically, taking her hand. "But loving someone and being loved makes it all worth it."

"I'm not so sure, Jane," Maura said quietly, withdrawing her hand.

**R&I**

WHACK!

The baseball rocketed towards the back of the batting cage, violently hitting the chain link fence before dropping and bouncing on the ground as the pitching machine launched another ball.

WHACK!

The baseball flew, slamming into the machine's protective cage and popping up and hitting the fence behind her. She didn't even flinch.

WHACK!

"Holy shit, Rizzoli! Who the hell pissed you off?!" Jo said, seeing who was causing the notably loud commotion in the batting cage.

Jane was going to ignore her, not in the mood to talk with anyone.

"Mom! Language!" the brown-haired teen complained.

Jane turned with surprise to find her boss, in a Yankee ball cap, next to a young woman in a UCONN ball cap, just as the machine launched another ball, nailing her in the side.

"Shit!" Jane cried in pain.

**R&I**

"You sure you're OK?" Jo asked as they extracted Jane from the batting cage.

"Physically," Jane said, holding her side with a wince.

Jo eyed her curiously as Jane sat on a bench.

"Who's this," Jane asked, looking at inquiring blue eyes that had just finished drifting appreciatively over her body. The girl smiled, pleased by the tall woman's attention.

"Never seen her before in my life," Jo said.

"Mom!" the young woman growled and pushed her arm.

Jane smiled, able to see Jo and Blair with kids. She wondered if Maura had ever thought about them. Her smile faded.

"I'm Beth Warner-Polniachez," she said with a winning smile, holding her hand out.

"Jane Rizzoli. UCONN?" Jane asked with interest, shaking the firm hand.

"For now. I'm transferring to Harvard next semester," Beth said. "I'm a criminal science major."

"Following in the family footsteps?" Jane said with a smile.

"Sort of. I'm going to be a prosecutor," Beth said. "So . . . have you always lived in Boston?" she asked with grin.

"Honey? Why don't you go find a cage?" Jo asked, looking at her pointedly, receiving a brief look of annoyance.

"Sure, ma. _**Very**_ nice to meet you, detective," Beth said with a sly smile, hoisting the bat bag over her shoulder. She glanced once more at the detective before going to a cage.

"How many kids do you have?" Jane asked curiously.

"Two. My other daughter is Tracy Polniachez-Warner," Jo said with proud smile. "She's two years younger and a junior at Eastland. She's with her mom now, shopping," Jo said, rolling her eyes.

"Polniachez-Warner and Warner-Polniachez?" Jane asked with mild amusement.

**R&I**

"May I help you?" the sales woman smiled.

"I'm enjoying just looking for the moment," Dr. Isles said with a polite smile, glancing around the boutique. To her surprise, she spotted Blair.

"Well, let me know if you need any help," the sales woman said. "I'm Janie," she said.

Maura glanced at her with surprise. "Thank you," she forced out with a smile, watching the saleswoman leave with relief.

When she started to go say hello to Blair, she stopped with surprise when a young woman rushed to Blair's side and pulled her arm, herding her towards a display of sweaters.

"Mom, just look!" Tracy cried out in delight, pulling out a cashmere sweater. "This would go perfectly with my new dress!" She said, looking at her mom with a big smile.

Blair smiled. "It is very nice," she allowed. "But how much?"

Tracy's big smile faded. She cringed and looked at the price tag. "I can . . . manage. I've saved up from the bakery. I simply must have this!"

"Just as long as you know what the cost is," Blair said sagely.

"Well, the cost of the materials and labor is much less than the price I will pay," Tracy said with a smirk. "But the designer and manufacturers need to have some profit for such a lovely creation, don't you think?"

"You do pay attention to me!" Blair said happily, giving her daughter a big hug.

"Mom, not in public," she blurted with embarrassment. Blair just chuckled.

"Ms. Warner?"

Blair and her daughter turned to see a wonderfully dressed woman approach.

"My god, that's a beautiful Nichole Miller," Tracy said, walking up to Maura, looking over the dress appreciatively. "And Manolo Blahnik's! Perfect."

"Thank you," Maura said with a small smile.

"Doctor Maura Isles, this is my daughter, Tracy Polniachez-Warner," Blair introduced her with a proud smile. Seeing Maura's surprised look, she chuckled.

"The last name was her choice."

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Tracy," Maura said.

"Likewise, Dr. Isles. Mom? I'm going to get this, ok?" Tracy asked with excitement.

"If you really want to spend your hard-earned savings to get it…" Blair cautioned.

"I'm so there," she blurted and dashed off.

Blair chuckled. "Don't tell me you convinced Jane to go shopping?" she said, looking around the store.

An uncomfortable look crossed Maura's face as her gaze dropped and she shook her head no.

"Something tells me you are here for some retail therapy," Blair said gently.

"I do find it a pleasant distraction to be around beautiful clothing," Maura admitted, glancing around the store.

"Let's get a cup of coffee," Blair suddenly suggested.

"O…okay," Maura said, feeling compelled to keep company with this kindred spirit.

**R&I**

"I thought you meant a café," Maura said as she drove up to Blair's house.

"I happen to make excellent coffee," Blair said with a grin as Maura parked.

"I didn't mean to cut short your time with your daughter," Maura said with concern.

"We had a nice, loooong morning shopping together. It's hard to believe I was once as energetic as she was," Blair said with a chuckle, getting out of the car with Maura. "Besides, Tracy and I will have a lot more time together. She's going to transfer to a school in Boston and live with us here," Blair said happily.

"Where was she before?" Maura asked as they went to the front door.

"Eastland."

"In Peekskill?"

"Yes. And Beth, our oldest, will be transferring to Harvard, so we'll see more of her too," Blair said brightly.

"How many children do you have?" Maura asked as they entered the house.

"Two young ladies. They don't like to be called children," Blair smiled. "Come on into the kitchen and I'll make us some coffee."

**R&I**

"She's got good form," Jane said as they sat on a bench, watching Beth consistently and solidly hit.

"Always was a natural athlete. Tracy, not so much," Jo chuckled and added "…unless you call shopping a sport."

Jane smiled.

"So, what happened between you two that has you beating the crap out of the cage?" Jo asked.

Jane wanted to deny anything had happened, but looked at Jo sadly. "She's pushing me away."

"Why? She seemed very happy," Jo said with surprise.

"She started thinking too much and got scared," Jane grumbled. "All her life, she went out of her way not to have to deal with people or her emotions, because they only seemed to cause her pain. She is afraid of getting hurt."

Jo frowned and shook her head. "I suppose our Jerry Springer drama last night didn't help any," Jo said with an apologetic wince.

Jane chuckled weakly. "I guess I should be glad she's questioning it now and not after we were married for a few years."

"You were thinking marriage?" Jo asked gently.

"I . . . yeah," Jane said, scratching the back of her neck. "I was."

"She loves you, Jane. Be patient," Jo said sagely.

"I'm trying but I'm not a very patient person," Jane said dejectedly with a sigh.

Jo snorted. "Nooo! Say it ain't so!"

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be lending a sympathetic ear instead of picking on me?!" Jane complained.

"What? And have people think we're friends or something?" Jo said, getting up.

"Can't have that," Jane chuckled.

**R&I**

Seated at the large kitchen island, Maura quietly stirred her coffee as Blair joined her. "So, what did Jane do to you?" Blair asked innocently, sipping her coffee, carefully observing her guest.

"Nothing," Maura responded with surprise.

"Really?" Blair pressed, eyeing her friend.

"Really. Jane has been . . . wonderful," Maura responded immediately.

"If she's so wonderful, why are you in need of retail therapy?"

"Blair," Maura said, getting a little annoyed. "I'm the one who decided we should break up."

"Because she did something to you," Blair persisted.

"No. Why do you assume she had done something to me?" Maura said.

"Why else would you break up with a wonderful woman?" Blair said simply, causing Maura to look at her with a frown. That was a logical question.

Maura's gaze dropped to her coffee. After a long moment, she sighed. "I'm afraid I am not strong enough."

Blair looked at Maura sadly. "Jo and I really scared you, didn't we," Blair said gently, placing her hand over Maura's. Maura sighed and nodded reluctantly.

"What if something happened to her? I would . . . die," Maura blurted. As one who had never understood how someone could make such dramatic declarations, Maura learned how when she truly felt that way.

"And after pushing her away, do you really think you will feel any less devastated if something happened to her?" Blair asked softly.

Maura frowned.

"Honey! I'm HOME!" Jo blurted loudly. A slamming door followed.

"Don't slam the door!" Blair called out with annoyance.

"That wasn't me!" Jo protested as she entered the kitchen with her equipment bag over her shoulder. "Hey, Maura," she said then kissed her wife on the cheek.

"Jo," Maura greeted with a small smile.

"Sorry, Mom. I didn't expect . . . well, _**hello**_," Beth said, noticing a lovely woman sharing coffee with her mother. "I'm Beth," she said with a winning smile, holding out her hand. Blair and Jo shared a look.

"Doctor Maura Isles," Maura said politely, shaking her hand.

"A doctor, huh?" Beth said with great interest. "Beauty and brains," she offered with a grin.

"Jo, take your daughter and hose her off, will you?" Blair said, shaking her head.

"What? I'm just being friendly to a beautiful lady!" Beth huffed.

"She's a family friend, so quit it!" Jo said, smacking her in the back of the head.

"Hey! Not fair. I see a hot woman at the cages and you barely let me talk with her. Are all women in Boston off-limits?" she complained.

"Yes." Her parents answered in stereo.

"This is why I am becoming a lawyer," Beth proclaimed dramatically and marched out.

"Sorry about that," Jo said, pouring herself a cup of coffee and joining them around the island. "She takes after her mother."

"I would agree," Blair said, looking at Jo pointedly.

"I beg your pardon, but which one of us had a date practically every night in high school?"

Blair frowned. "That doesn't mean…."

"And which one of us had every school boy from Bates wrapped around her little finger? Not to mention most of the girls at Eastland…"

"It was just harmless flirting, Jo," Blair said dismissively. "And the one person who I really wanted was immune to my charms," she said with a pout.

"Then how do you explain me marrying you?" Jo asked.

"You finally evolved from the Neanderthal that you were," Blair said, pinching her cheek.

"Maura?" Blair said worriedly, noticing her getting up from her chair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you," she said apologetically.

"You don't need to go," Jo added with concern, pleased Maura and her wife were becoming friends. "I'll give you two some space – I've got to shower and unpack some stuff."

Maura smiled. "It's not that, really. Your familial interactions have been . . . enlightening."

"Oh. Well . . . good!" Blair said with a confused smile.

"But I need to go and talk with Jane," Maura said with a worried look crossing her face.

"It's easier to face things when you have someone in your corner with you," Blair said vaguely.

Maura nodded.

"She was at the batting cages earlier. I think she might be home by now," Jo offered.

"Oh," Maura said, then tilted her head thoughtfully. "So the hot woman was…?" Maura asked curiously.

"Yeah," Jo interjected flatly.

* * *

TBC


	17. Chapter 17 and Epliogue

**Facts, Just the Facts (CH 17 and Epilogue)**

**A Rizzoli & Isles Story**

**By Enginerd**

* * *

**Chapter 17 - Closure**

After her shower, Jane found herself scrubbing her stove top. After that was done, she fetched the vacuum cleaner from the closet and started to vacuum the floor, which really didn't need it and annoyed Jo Friday, who retreated to a safe place under her couch. After the floor was done, she opened up her refrigerator and sighed. She didn't remember the last time she scrubbed the shelves and decided that was probably a good indication it was time to wash them.

Pulling out her last shelf, she placed it in the sink and sprayed it down. Hearing a knock on her door, she turned off the faucet with a sigh as Jo barked excitedly at the visitor. Wiping her hands with the dishtowel, she walked to the front door, really hoping it wasn't her Ma, who had called several times. She was not in a mood to deal with her right now. With a quick look through the peephole, she sucked in a hopeful breath and quickly unlocked the door and abruptly pulled it open, startling Maura.

"Uh . . .We need to talk," Maura said somberly.

Jane cringed uneasily, not exactly comforted by those words or the tone.

"Sure," she said, stepping back and letting her in.

Jo kept barking. "Jo! Shoo, will yah?" Jane snapped waving her hands at the dog, who barked in protest before trotting off.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Maura said.

Jane motioned for them to sit on the couch. Maura nodded and sat erect, on the far end, making Jane uncomfortable as she sat a cautious distance from her.

After taking a deep, focusing breath, Maura spoke. "I need to apologize for how I've behaved towards you and not letting you know what had me upset," Maura said uneasily, glancing at Jane. "It's just . . . I'm not good at sharing my feelings or concerns with someone. I know that I was unfair in not talking with you, before making a decision that affected both of us," Maura said with a cringe as Jane silently listened.

"I had worried about being hurt and in the process, I hurt you," Maura said guiltily, looking at Jane, who remained quiet, listening. "I am so sorry about that."

Jane nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"I had done a lot of thinking today. About us and my failings as a partner to you," she said, causing Jane to struggle not to interrupt, but she managed to remain quiet.

"I am afraid I am never going to be what you should have in a partner. I'm afraid you will see that and regret being with me. I'm also terrified of something happening to you and losing you. And while illogical, I acted out on those fears which in essence, was doing the very thing I was afraid of – losing you," Maura said with a frown. "I've concluded that no matter how far away I push you, I can not protect myself from the devastation I would experience if you . . . ." Maura admitted uncomfortably, then stopped, unable to finish the sentence.

"I am tired, Jane. I'm tired of letting my fears paralyze me, keeping me from the things that I want. But I'm not sure I'm strong enough to get past them," Maura said miserably.

Jane looked at her and asked a simple question. "What do you want, Maura?"

Maura looked into those dark brown eyes, finding what she had always found - understanding and love. "You. A home. A family. Everything . . . with you," Maura whispered uneasily, looking at her expectantly.

The relief Jane felt almost made her dizzy as her heart soared.

"You want what I want. And you're not the only one afraid, Maura," Jane said softly. "I'm afraid you'll see me as the big mistake," she said, prompting Maura to frown. "I'm afraid you'll realize that you could do so much better than me," she said, causing that frown to deepen. "I'm afraid I'm going to drag you into the nightmares I've lived with and that I'm not quite free of. But the biggest fear I have?" Jane said, looking into Maura's eyes. "Is that I will miss out on the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. You," Jane said, noting Maura's eyes welling up with tears.

"Oh Jane."

"What do you say. . . ," she said, taking Maura's hand and gently squeezing. " . . . we face those fears and jump into the scary unknown together?" Jane said earnestly. "Two heads are better than one. Many hands make light work. A stitch in time is a penny earned," Jane offered sagely with a shrug, making Maura laugh as she wiped the tears from her cheek.

Jane smiled at the beautiful sound.

Maura leaned towards her and kissed her tenderly. "I do so love you."

"Show me?" Jane said with a twinkle in her eye.

Maura smiled and stood, holding her hand out. Jane took it and was led to the bedroom.

Maura was in no rush as she undressed Jane, pausing for a caress here, an intimate kiss there. Jane also slowly peeled away Maura's clothes, tracing her long fingers over newly exposed areas of skin, reveling in the softness and the effect of her touch that brought bumps to Maura's sensitive skin and hardness to her nipples.

Finally, they stood without any barriers. Their bodies pressed into each other as their mouths merged, their tongues danced, and their hands roamed.

Jane led them to her bed, climbing on it with Maura, incredibly without breaking their kiss. Maura managed to roll Jane on her back and looked at her with a smile.

"You are sooooo bossy," Jane said with a grin.

Maura dipped down to whisper in her ear. "Well, you did say show you."

"So I . . . did," Jane moaned when Maura's tongue flicked at her earlobe.

Pressing her knee firmly between Jane's legs caused an approving moan. Fingers caressed, stroked, and teased her skin, until finally focusing on Jane's breasts. She squeezed the nipple as she slid down Jane's body, kissing a warm wet trail along the way.

Jane squirmed as her arousal grew, pooling at her sex. A jolt shot through her body as a warm moist mouth attached to her breast. A skillful tongue circled and lapped at her nipple before teeth nipped and tugged at it.

"GOD," Jane moaned, one hand grabbed her sheets as the other landed on Maura's head; her sex grew wetter and wetter at the delicious attention to her breasts.

Maura's oral attentions to her breasts were abandoned as she kissed her way down Jane's chest, to her stomach, licking, sucking, and kissing her way down until she settled between Jane's legs. Her fingers carefully pulling apart the skin around her hood, Maura blew against it.

"Uh," Jane moaned, her head turning to the side as her hands strangled the sheets. "More," she pleaded, rewarded with a tongue that lapped at her juices, dipping deep into her entrance to claim the fluid that continued to flow. "Oh…" Jane exhaled, her body throbbing as her arousal grew and grew, almost painfully.

Maura shifted her weight to one elbow as she placed her fingers at Jane's entrance, teasing it, rubbing the lips without penetrating.

"Please," Jane husked, wanting that penetration. Needing it.

Maura stopped all movement, causing Jane's eyes to fly open in alarm. She looked down at the blond between her legs to see a lust-filled gaze as Maura ever so slowly pushed her fingers into Jane.

Jane swallowed hard as she watched her lover stroke her skillfully, rubbing that perfect spot that caused her to squirm. Her arousal steadily built, climbing to the peak that was so close. So, so close, Jane thought, as her body trembled and throbbed from the tension growing within, sweat beading on her skin. So close she thought, calling out something unintelligible, just before her body suddenly grew rigid then convulsed as her climax hit, releasing a loud moan and large wave of pleasure that washed over her, through her. Then Maura's mouth was on her, licking and sucking, as her fingers continued to thrust within her, harder and harder. A second climax came crashing down, her body unable to do anything except tremble as she rode that wave.

Maura slowed her ministrations, continuing her intimate caresses as she placed a kiss on the side of Jane's thigh. She kissed her way up, tenderly brushing her lips over tingling skin until she was face-to-face with an exhausted Jane. She leaned down and kissed her.

Jane reached up, sliding her hand behind Maura's head as her other hand found purchase on her back, pulling her into the slow, deep kiss.

**R&I**

Blair yawned as she entered their bedroom, but quickly perked up when she found herself in Jo's arms, being kissed.

Pulling back from the kiss, Blair smiled broadly, glancing around the room that was full of candles that provided a romantic glow that accompanied the soft music playing. "When did you do all this?" she asked delightedly.

"May I have this dance?" Jo asked, stepping back and holding out her hand, which made Blair smile.

"You may," she said, slipping her hand into Jo's as they took their familiar positions and let their feet and bodies move to the music.

"Did Tracy buy out the store?" Jo asked.

"No. She knows better than to max out her credit card," Blair said. "But she will need to get school clothes when she transfers here."

"Too bad she can't just wear her Eastland uniform," Jo said as Blair turned in her arms and wrapped Jo's arms around her waist, which allowed Jo the perfect opportunity to nuzzle her neck as they swayed in time to the music.

"You could suggest that to her," Blair said with amusement.

"And have her give me the silent treatment again? I'd rather have a root canal," she said. "Do you think we're doing the right thing? Having her transfer here and not graduate Eastland?" Jo asked uneasily.

"She's the one who suggested it, Jo. And I love having her home, with us," Blair said, as they rocked to the slow ballade.

"Me too. Even if she still hasn't forgiven me," Jo said softly.

"She's forgiven you, Jo. She just had a really hard time and is scared of being scared again. We all are," Blair said honestly. Jo frowned guiltily. Blair caressed Jo's cheek and kissed her tenderly on the lips before resting her head on Jo's shoulder and swaying to the music.

"Do you think Beth is ever going to settle down? I'm worried about her," Blair asked with a slight frown, looking at Jo, who shrugged.

"If you can, I'm sure there's hope," Jo said with a smirk.

"I only flirted, Jo. I'm afraid Beth is a bit more . . . aggressive," Blair said uncomfortably with a wince.

"I think she's a lot more talk than you think, Princess," Jo said thoughtfully.

"I hope so. Why buy the cow if the milk is free," Blair said sagely.

"I'm sure she remembers your cow talk, Blair," Jo said with amusement as the song stopped and a radio commercial played.

"I just don't want her to get hurt," Blair frowned going to their bed and sitting down.

"I know. Neither do I. But the one I think we need to worry about is Tracy," Jo noted, sitting next to her. She took her hand and kissed it.

"Well, she did say that the consumer would still be compelled to buy the cow if the milk was really good and the cow cut off the supply to drive the demand up," Blair acknowledged, then looked at Jo with a frown.

"Exactly."

"I was hoping she was just trying to get a rise out of me," she said with a sigh, as Jo pulled back her hair and kissed her neck.

"That sounds like a very good plan," Jo said, kissing her cheek then guiding her chin towards her to kiss her on the lips.

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Blair, really. You don't need to camp out here while I do paper work," Jo said again as she opened up her office door.

"I'm not camping out. I have my own work to do, thank you very much," she said, patting the laptop case hanging from her shoulder.

"Great, we can be in the same room ignoring each other," Jo said as they entered her office.

"Dear Lord, Jo! How can you get anything done with this clutter all around?" Blair gasped at the filing boxes all over the room.

"Which is why I am here on a Sunday to reduce the clutter," Jo said with irritation and sat at her desk.

"You haven't even put any pictures up yet!" Blair complained, heading to the small couch, frowning as she removed two boxes to make room for her to sit.

Jo sighed and got up from her desk. She marched over to a corner of her office where several boxes were piled on top of each other. She removed two boxes from the pile and opened the lid to the third, pulling out a picture of her family, before the girls were high school age. Pausing a long moment, she stared at the picture; the smiles on their faces always reminded her of what was really important in life. Looking up, she saw Blair looking at her with a warm smile.

With a self-conscious smile, she placed the picture on her desk. "Satisfied?"

"It's a start," Blair allowed, powering up her laptop.

Jo pulled out a thick folder and opened it. After squinting at the blurry words, she sighed heavily before reaching into her desk drawer to pull out her glasses case. Donning the reading glasses, she sighed again and began to review the case.

"You finally got glasses!" Blair exclaimed.

Jo grimaced. "Yeah. I have to face the facts – my hair is getting greyer…."

"Silver," Blair countered.

". . . my skin is becoming more wrinkled."

"Laugh lines," Blair supplied helpfully.

"And my eyes are getting weaker. I don't have to be a detective to know - I'm old," she said dejectedly, pulling the glasses off and staring at them.

"Put them back on," Blair said.

"Why?"

"Just do it," Blair countered firmly

"Why?"

"JO!" Blair blurted with exasperation.

"Fine," she groaned and put the glasses back on.

Blair stared at her as she got up. "What?" Jo asked.

Silently, Blair approached Jo and swiveled her chair towards her.

"Blair? What the . . . ," Jo said, finding herself being kissed, hard.

**R&I**

"How do I look?" Maura said nervously, patting down imaginary wrinkles as they approached the Rizzoli's family home.

"Overdressed for a spaghetti night, Maura," Jane said bluntly. "I told you _**spaghetti**_."

"I don't think there is a prohibition on wearing a nice dress when dining on spaghetti. It's not like wearing white after . . . ," Maura countered seriously.

"Maura. If you get spaghetti sauce on your dress, don't blame me," Jane said as they entered the house.

"I just wanted to look nice," Maura said, looking down at her dress.

"You always look nice, Maur," Jane said warmly, squeezing her hand.

"But I wanted to look especially nice tonight," Maura said nervously.

Jane looked at her and smiled. "They love you already, Maur," Jane said and leaned in.

"Janie! Maura!" Angela greeted them happily, causing Jane to jump back.

"Hey girls," Frank said as he sat down on the couch next to Frankie, who waved absently at them as he intently watched the game.

"Angela, Frank, Frankie," Maura said with a nervous smile.

"Remember they already love you, Maura," Jane said softly in her ear, trying to quell her unease.

Angela looked at them curiously, noting Maura seemed a bit nervous. But Jane seemed to be helping her relax, she thought, noting Jane rubbing her back soothingly. Just like Frank would do, she considered fondly.

"Hey, Ma," Jane said. "I hope you made a lot. I'm starving," she said, making her mother beam.

"I'm an Italian mother, of course I made a lot! Help me with the salad," Angela said, turning her attention back to the garlic bread preparation.

Jane rolled her eyes, hating to be the one picked on. Why couldn't Frankie get stuck with the kitchen detail just for once, she frowned.

"Can I help?" Maura asked eagerly.

"The more the merrier," Angela chuckled as the two women joined her in the kitchen. "You know, I've always liked you, Maura," she joked, then looked at Jane pointedly. "SHE volunteers to help," she said dramatically, motioning to Maura, who found Jane shrugging and looking at her with a grin.

Hearing Frank and Frankie suddenly shout at the TV, Maura jumped. "You get used to it," Jane said, placing a hand on her forearm.

Maura eyed her skeptically.

"So how was the Benefit? Did you two have fun? I would have asked yesterday, but Janie wasn't answering her phone," Angela said, glaring at Jane with irritation.

"Ma, I was . . . exhausted," Jane said, pulling the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and onions from the refrigerator.

"Too exhausted to speak with your own mother?" Angela countered, noting how Maura winced slightly and placed her hand at Jane's back as Jane placed the produce on the kitchen table.

"Actually, yes," Jane said and looked at her mother, who frowned.

"So how was the Benefit, Maura?" Angela said, squeezing fresh garlic through the press.

"Eventful," Maura offered, causing Angela to look at her in confusion.

"We met Lieutenant Polniaczek's wife," Jane tossed out, gauging her mother's reaction as she handed Maura the onions and tomatoes and a knife.

"Oh? What's she like?" Angela asked absently, mixing the garlic in the butter.

"A lovely woman," Maura noted approvingly, making quick work of the onions with precise cuts.

"Dresses almost as nice as Maura does," Jane said, placing her hand on Maura's shoulder.

Her stubbornly tough daughter seemed to be more touchy feely these days, Angela noted as she started to butter the bread. Maura seemed to bring out the gentler side to Jane, which was a very good thing, she considered.

"As nice," Maura countered with a smile.

"You wouldn't say you dress nicer?" Jane challenged with a grin, tackling the carrots with a vegetable peeler.

"No. No, I wouldn't," Maura said thoughtfully.

"Well, I'd have to say I strongly disagree, Dr. Isles," Jane said, prompting a pleased smile.

Angela's buttering slowed as she looked between the two women. She blinked with surprise, when she noted Jane stealing a slice of tomato and getting her hand slapped in the middle of the crime. The look the two shared was one she hadn't seen before.

"I'm surprised you would want to eat that, considering your apparent dislike of anything fresh," Maura said.

Jane grinned. "Is that sarcasm, Maura?"

"No, an observation, Jane," Maura responded confidently.

"I don't know who is spreading those vicious, vicious rumors. I happen to like fresh produce," Jane argued, holding up the romaine lettuce as if that was irrefutable proof.

"The contents of your refrigerator would indicate otherwise, Detective," Maura countered with amusement.

Jane looked at Maura a moment, trying to think of an appropriate response.

Angela couldn't help but feel like a third wheel as she saw the electricity pass between them. Jane probably didn't even realize how Maura was looking at her, Angela thought with a frown, knowing that for being such a great detective, Jane was not normally perceptive about herself. Dense, one might even say, she considered with concern.

"Ma! Maura's picking on me!" Jane suddenly said with a pout, startling the older woman from her thoughts and making Maura laugh.

"I've seen your refrigerator, Jane," Angela said with a shrug, glancing between the two briefly before focusing on buttering her bread. "It's not exactly overflowing with fresh vegetables, you know," she added, glancing up to find the pleased look on Maura's face as she eyed her daughter in amused challenge.

"Great, just what I need, the two of you to gang up on me," Jane grumbled and finished tearing the lettuce leaves and placing them into the large salad bowl.

"Maura dear, would you mind taking the salad to the table and setting out the salad bowls from the china cabinet?" Angela asked.

"Not at all," Maura said with a smile, making Angela pause. Her kids were never happy to do chores, yet Maura seemed eager to help.

As Jane started to leave with Maura, Angela noted Jane's hand at the small of Maura's back. She probably didn't even know she was doing that, Angela considered. "Jane? I need your help with the garlic bread," she blurted awkwardly.

Jane paused with a confused look. Maura smiled at Jane and left the kitchen to complete her task.

"You need my help to do . . . what, exactly?" Jane said, eyeing the baking sheet full of buttered bread ready for the oven.

Angela frowned. "Janie, we need to talk," she said, immediately putting Jane on the defensive.

"About what?" She said tersely.

"Just hear me out, will yah?" Angela said with annoyance.

"Fine," Jane said with a heavy sigh.

"Now I'm not trying to butt into your personal life…." Angela started, earning a loud snort.

"Since WHEN?" Jane blurted with a laugh.

"Would you just listen to me for a minute!?" Angela hissed. Jane rolled her eyes and nodded. "I think that maybe, just maybe, we've been looking in all the wrong places," Angela said cautiously, glancing out at the dinner table where Maura was setting the salad bowls.

"Looking? Looking for what?"

"Looking for someone for you," Angela said impatiently. "Get with the program, will yah? Sheesh, no wonder you're still single!" she blurted with frustration, picking up the sheet of garlic bread and going to the oven.

"Really, Ma?" Jane said with amazement. "I've told you, several times in fact, that I don't need or WANT your help in setting me up! Have I mentioned that I've told you several times?!" Jane said emphatically.

"Jane, if you'd just listen! Maybe you should consider someone who you are already comfortable with," Angela said, gaining a confused look from her daughter. Angela leaned towards her and whispered. "Maura," she said meaningfully, glancing towards the dinner table, where Maura was chatting with Frankie.

Jane's ready protest immediately fell silent as she looked at her mother in surprise.

"Here me out, Janie. She's a wonderful woman. Odd? Sure, but who isn't? You are already best friends. Clearly she has a great tolerance for your crap…or she was dropped on her head as a child," Angela offered with an amused snort. "But I can see you two care for each other. You two have something special already. Maybe, just maybe, it is something that will develop into something more. And for God's sake, let's not forget – she's a DOCTOR!" Angela preached enthusiastically, getting more excited by the idea by the moment.

"You think . . . I should date . . . Maura?" Jane said incredulously.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a prude! We're in Massachusetts for God's sake! You two can even get married!" she preached as Jane blinked. "Please, Jane. Just think about it with an open mind. I have a feeling about this. A good feeling," Angela implored.

"All done with the salad bowls," Maura announced upon her return to the kitchen. "Is something wrong?" she asked, seeing the odd look on Jane's face.

Angela smiled. "NO! Not a thing," she said.

Seeing a big smile now emerge on Jane's face, Maura asked "What?"

"Well, my mother thinks we should…ow!" Jane said, grabbing the back of her arm, which her mother pinched, hard.

"We should get everyone seated at the dinner table, right Jane?" Angela said, glaring at her daughter. "Maura, honey, could you round up the men for me?" she asked, grabbing the back of Jane's arm to ensure she didn't escape.

"Okay," Maura said, looking at Jane, who seemed rather amused by something. Something, which she would find the details about later, Maura considered confidently, casting one last curious gaze between mother and daughter before leaving them.

"What are you trying to do?! Mess things up before you even go on a date!?" Angela blurted with annoyance, slapping Jane's arm.

"Ow!" Jane said with a laugh, holding her arm.

"I'm serious, Jane. I want you to seriously think about Maura, and not make jokes about the idea," Angela said with annoyance as she pulled the toasted garlic bread from the oven.

"Ma! It's not a bad idea," Jane allowed with a small smile, getting her mother to look at her hopefully. "It's just that…," Jane offered with an apologetic wince.

"You can get over the same sex thing, Jane. Why Annie Gladkowiski's daughter Brenda was as straight as they came, but is now happily married to LeAnn Yetterman. If she can…," Angela reported.

"Ma! It's just that I've already…," Jane countered.

"You're already seeing someone! Jane!" Angela blurted with annoyance, slapping her arm, twice.

"Hey!" Jane said, holding her abused arm.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Angela hissed.

"We were going to…," Jane said defensively.

"When?! After you let me go on and on, and get my hopes up?" Angela blurted with irritation, shaking her head dejectedly.

"MA! Listen to me! I am already with Maura," Jane said firmly. "As in with with," she offered as clarification. "We were going to tell you tonight, after dinner."

Angela looked at her daughter a long moment, before sighing heavily. She quietly left to serve the spaghetti to her family.

Jane sat next to Maura and nervously watched as her mother finished serving the spaghetti and sat down next to her father.

Maura looked at Jane with concern. "I told her," she said simply, causing a look of alarm from Maura. Jane shrugged.

"So, Frankie," Angela said, grabbing a piece of garlic bread from the basket. "When are you going to find someone to settle down with? You're not getting any younger, you know."

* * *

**The End**

Disclaimer: The characters of Rizzoli and Isles were created by Tess Gerritsen and adapted for television by TNT. The characters of Jo and Blair are from the NBC TV series, The Facts of Life.


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